


Watching the World Burn

by Abigail1998



Category: Elyza Lex (Fanverse), Fear the Walking Dead (TV), QTWD, The 100 (TV), queer the walking dead
Genre: Angst, Blood, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Queer the walking dead - Freeform, Slow Burn, Smut, Strong Female Characters, Violence, Walkers (Walking Dead), lexark, qtwd - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-05-04
Packaged: 2018-05-27 16:36:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 74,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6291991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abigail1998/pseuds/Abigail1998
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elyza Lex's journey through a world gone mad eventually leads her to meet a group of survivors, one particularly sassy brunette instantly grabs her eye and doesn't let it go.</p><p>Lexark starts in chapter 4. Chapters 1-3 are just my personal backstory for Elyza.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beggining of the End

Running seemed to be all that she’d done since the world went to shit a month ago. Running from the dead that didn't stay dead, the soldiers that killed anything in their path with no remorse, and the people that were intent on making her dead. She had been running for too long and she was tired. She was too tired. These last few months she’d watched as things that used to be people shuffled aimlessly around the streets, tearing into anyone unlucky enough to be cornered.

Before the world had had started to crumble beneath itself, she had been happy, she truly had. She’d just been accepted into the University of California to study biomedical science, she’d been adopted by a family that had shown her all the love that she hadn't been able to find in the world after her parents had been killed by a drunk driver when she had only just turned 11 years old. Even after her many rough patches through high school, she’d managed to pull herself together before it had been too late, she’d dug in deep and came out shinning. But then people started eating each other. 

She’d come down for a glass of water in the middle of the night. Coming of the last step with her wrist rubbing sleep out of her eye she turned into the room to see her foster dad lying in the middle of the kitchen with his wife’s hand performing compressions on his unmoving chest. “What’s going on? Mom?” she’d shouted, immediately jumping awake at the sight. “I don’t know, one minute he’s fine the next. Call the ambulance. Elyza, now!” she’d shouted at me, not meaning to be mean but out of desperation, the man she loved was dying in her arms. 

Her trained calmness coming over her Elyza quickly moved to grab the phone sitting on the marble island countertop. She quickly punched in 911 on the touchscreen and pulled it up to her ear. “Damnit, the line’s full!” she shouts back at the woman she’d come to know as her mother. “Here take it and keep trying to get through to them.” When her mother doesn’t move from her position at her dad’s side she speaks again, louder this time. “Martha!” she snaps her head up at the sound of her name, “take it” Elyza says as she passes the iPhone to her mom. “Keep trying.” She sees the tears falling down her cheeks and raises her hand up to gently grab her mother’s face, “listen to me, he’s going to be fine. Don’t worry. Please I need you to keep trying for an ambulance.” She knelt down next to her dad’s body and put her fingers to his pulse point on his neck, she could feel an incredibly faint pulse but it was getting weaker. 

“Dad!” she calls out a few times as begins the compressions on his chest. Once she’d done the right amount of compressions she brought her mouth over his and began to breathe into his mouth trying to get his airways working again. “Come on. Come On! Wake up dad!” she shouts into his face, at this Martha drops down to his other side and brings his hand into her grasp, gripping it with all her strength, “Richard! Please wake up” she calls out to him. After I breathe into him again I reach to feel for a pulse but I can’t feel one anymore, I bring my face down to his chest to try and here his heartbeat. There isn't one.

With her head still resting on his chest and tears starting to leak from her eyes she lets out a long sigh, knowing that she’s lost him. Martha wails behind her holding his head against her chest, she is screaming his name begging him to come back to her. It’s while her mother is screaming that Elyza notices the blood spreading across the floor coming from his pants. When she reaches out to pull the leg of the pants she reveals a very deep bite that appears to have ripped out some of his flesh I the process. “Bloody hell” she whispers to herself as she comes over the wound to look more closely. It is messy with fresh blood still pouring out occasionally. “Where the hell did he get this one from?” she asks out loud not expecting a response from her mom. The tears on her face drip into the wound and she sniffles coming to the realisation that she’d just lost her father, again, she’d lost him again, first Jake and now Richard. She begins to let herself cry loudly when she hears a scream from behind her as she watches her father rip his mouth away from Martha’s neck, her blood pouring out of her throat as he hands jump up to her wound on instinct to try and stop herself from bleeding out, her screams still drowning the room. 

“No! Dad stop it!” she shouts moving towards him to try and stop him, before she can however he sinks his jaw back into the same wound going deeper and deeper. Before she can reach his head to pull him away her mother’s screams have stopped and her head rolls back, lifeless. “No!” Elyza screams, choking on tears as she pulls herself to her feet, slowly backing away from the two of them. Her right hand is outstretched, reaching across the counter for one of their knives. As she moves further backwards, Richard stands up and begins to groan as he shuffle towards her, Martha’s blood still pouring from his mouth. Her hand bumps against the knife holder and her hand quickly closes itself around one of the thickest handles. As she holds the knife out in front of her, her father’s look isn't even phased, he just keeps moving slowly towards her, groaning and hissing at her with his arms reaching out at her. Her breaths quickens when she feels the wall behind her stopping her from moving further. 

“Dad, it’s me.” She tries hoping with all she has that he can hear her, “It’s Elyza, it’s your daughter. Please stop.” The last words come out barely as a whisper as comes so close to her that she can smell her mother’s blood on him. With no other option Elyza plunges the knife straight up into the middle of his chest.

Nothing, nothing happens and he doesn’t stop his head still leaning towards her, his jaw snapping in front of her face, Martha’s blood spattering across her face. She could feel a drop slowly making its way down her forehead towards her eyebrow. She watches as it drips across her eyelid, it sends a jolt down her spine to think that this blood belonged to her mother, who she assumed was now lying sprawled out across the floor. Even with her well trained muscles, she was having a tough time keeping him off of her. She made sure that her grip was tight as she slowly started pulling I towards her, pulling Richard along with her, his biting jaw getting closer and closer to her face. When the end of the handle was pushing against her chest she pushed out a grunt at the effort, before she used all the strength she had left to push him back using the knife as a focus point for her power, her right leg had hooked around one of his to trip him over and it had worked, he fell backwards landing flat on his back. 

Elyza was bent over and breathing hard. With her eyes aimed at the floor she saw a pair of dark slippers enter her view. At the same time she heard the growling and she snapped her head up to lock eyes with her mothers. “Mom” she said in shock and surprise before her eyes drifted down to Martha’s neck were there were still drips of blood coming out of the mess that her throat had become. “Please mom. Please tell me you’re in there.” She says, tears still pouring down her face as she watched the body of her mother shuffle towards her as he father had just done. Her father was now getting back to his feet behind the body of his wife. Elyza turned and quickly ran for the kitchen door and slammed it shut locking it. As she heard slams against the closed door she ran to the other side of the large heavy cabinet leaning against the wall and began to push it in front of the door. 

That was the only door into the kitchen she knew, and she hoped it would hold them for a while. The staircase was to her left and she sprinted up it two steps at a time, before Elyza entered her room she swung open the linen cabinet and pulled out the small suitcase sitting on the floor. She dropped the black bag onto her bead open and she quickly but efficiently began to pack it with clothes, she grabbed everything she could. When she grabbed her phone she tried to dial the police but again now the emergency services line was no longer in service, “Fuck me.” Elyza said to herself as she finished packing her clothes into the case and left it open. She could still here the bodies of her parents banging against the kitchen door.

Walking out of her bedroom she headed down the brown painted hall to her parents’ bedroom. The door creaked as she opened it and as soon as she was in she started to rummage through their draws, “Fuck, fuck, fuck! Where is it?” she says as she starts throwing clothes of all kinds on the floor until she pulls out a metal box with a combination lock sitting on it. She entered the 8 digits in, 04132008, the 13th of April 2008, the date that Martha and Richard had adopted her. When she flipped the boxes lid she found what she was looking. The old Glock was Richard from his military days that he’d retired from a few years ago. She grabbed the gun and the 3 magazines that lay next to it in the box. As she stood up she caught sight of herself in the mirror sitting against the wall. Her black skinny jeans were hugging against her thick muscled thighs and her untucked white tank top now splattered with blood. This wasn't the first time her face had blood spattered in it but it was the first time that it hadn't been hers. Her long blonde hair was braided back off of her face and there were drops of blood in their as well. She ran back to her room stopping at the staircase to listen, yes her parents were still stuck in the kitchen, she doubted they’d be able to get out, the cabinet was extremely heavy.

As she rushed back into her room she pulled her combat boots out from under her bed and quickly began to do them up while she looked around her room for what she was now guessing would be the last time, she’d just watched the dead come back to life and she doubted that something that caused that would end with an easy fix. She looked to the posters of metal bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Slipknot lined her white walls. Once she was done with her boots she turned to her cluttered desk and grabbed her leather jacket of the back of the chair, she reached her hand into her pocket to feel that her aviators were still there. 

She turned to her window and started to contemplate how she’d fit her suitcase through there but just before Elyza could come to a decision a large explosion pulled her attention to what was going on outside the window. There were fires raging all over the city, she could see the whole city from her vantage point on the very outskirts of LA. That made her decision for her.

She turned back to her bead and open case, she quickly threw in her sketch pads, phone charger and her most prized position of all, the photos she had of her parents. She felt the gun sticking down the back of her pants and into her ass, she’d made sure the safety was on cause she wasn't big on the idea of giving herself another hole back there, the one already there suited her just fine already. She zipped up her case and without a second thought picked it up and threw it straight through the window causing the glass to shatter outwards. The crunch she heard when it hit the ground didn't sound good but she didn't have time to worry about it. She pulled her fingerless gloves around her hands as she grabbed the window frame, careful to avoid any remaining shards of glass. Once she was crouched within the frame she looked down to see her case and she aimed to land next to it. She dropped, landing on her feet before quickly following it through with a forward roll.

Dusting herself of as she stood up she turned to grab her suitcase, the small case was very easy to carry as she’d had to pack light considering the circumstances. The door to the garage was unlocked and she stepped inside. The black Harley was sitting pristine and shiny to the side of the dark blue car that was taking up most of the space. She went for the Harley because she knew it was easier to manoeuvre. Once she’d made sure that her case was strapped to the back of the beautiful bike she grabbed the helmet with flames starting on the visor and continuing over the back all the way to the base, without really thinking about it she grabbed the one with guns and roses decorating it and hooked it to the side of the bike. The string to the garage shutter door was just above her and she pulled it. The keys to the bike were hanging on a rack next to the door to the main house. “Sorry Martha” she said as she pulled them off, the bike of course belonging to her. Elyza walked back to the bike and as she stretched her leg over the frame she started the ignition. Elyza sat for a second staring at the door to the house. “Through light and darkness, cloud and fire, may your spirits walk through the fire and emerge cleansed.” She said quietly as a tear began to make its way down her face. 

She gave the accelerator a few experimental revs while holding the break. Her feet remained close to the ground as she slowly let go of the break and turned the accelerator ever so slightly, she rode out of the garage and turned onto the street and turning left. She stopped on the road a second before she realised that she had no idea where to go. Elyza had just lost both her parents for a second time and she had watched as they’d returned from the dead just to try and tear her apart with their teeth. “They didn't even recognise me.” Elyza said to herself. 

The beach house. Elyza remembered back on her many happy childhoods spent down at the family beach house during the summer, well not technically there’s as they were borrowing it from Richard’s sister. Elyza revved the bike once more and began to ride off into the dark night towards the beach, passing several people stumbling through the streets on her way, all of them turning their heads to look at her before beginning to stumble towards her, never getting very close considering how fast she was going. “How the fucked did this happen?” She asks herself, but not actually hearing it over the wind wiping past her. 

Guessing that it was probably a good idea to stay off the main roads as she assumed that if whatever what was happening was as bad as she guessed, then lots of people would be trying to get out of the city most likely to head inland she stayed off them. It seemed, Elyza thought, that she was right, the back and side streets were empty except for the occasional body stumbling through the streets. Elyza avoided them not knowing how to deal with something that was apparently already dead. As she pulled up to the very fancy beach house she quickly entered her parent’s access code and the security gate opened and closed quickly behind her after she’d drove the bike through. The long driveway had always excited her, it was like the prelude to what was about to be an amazing time, now she thought that was a prelude to her survival.

She brought her bike to a stop right out the front of the doors. She pulled the keys out of the ignition and pulled of helmet, once it was of she brought her hand up to wipe away some sweat her somewhat now sweaty head. She pushed her hand through her curly blonde hair and let out a deep breath. Elyza used her foot to bring out the kickstand underneath the bike. She hooked the helmet next to the other and moved to unwrap the suitcase from the back of the bike. Walking towards the front door she used the key that was on the same chain as the bike key. Before she opened the door Elyza looked through the glass pane to see if she could see anyone inside. The large wooden door swung in and she walked over the thresh hold. A few feet in she reached back out of the door to press the doorbell to see if anything came walking, or shuffling towards her. When nothing did Elyza guessed that it was safe enough to go in properly after she closed the door behind her and closing the second emergency lock above the main one.

Elyza walked into the kitchen to get the glass of water that she’d been looking for before shit had hit the fan. Elyza didn't turn on any on any of the lights in case something saw them. With her glass in hand Elyza made her way to the bedroom that she’d always wanted as a child but Martha and Richard had always gotten, the master. Walking up the metal stairs was reminding her of all the times she’d run up these stairs as a child, feet covered in wet sand ad trudging it all through the house without a second thought. The master bedroom was every bit as grand as she remembered. She dropped her case at the foot of the bed before turning around to lock the door behind her. Elyza moved to the window that had a view that went in almost every direction. 

The city was still burning and tears started to well in her eyes again as she thought about all the people who were scared and screaming, but more importantly about how in only 19 years she’d managed to lose twice the amount of parents that most people are able to hold on too. She started to cry not holding herself back anymore with no reason to anymore, she wasn't in any immediate danger from anyone or anything. The sounds of the strong waves drew her attention and she turned to face them hoping that they’d help her relax. After about ten minutes of staring out over the ocean and slowly sipping away at her water she turned to face the large king sized bed that had soft sheeting wrapping it all around it. The gun in the back of her pants found a new resting place on the bedside table with the magazines standing up straight next to it, the half empty glass sitting on the other side of the gun. After untying her shoe laces she lay down in the bed and pulled the covers over herself. 

Her body only took up a tiny portion of the bed. Elyza stared up at the ceiling with her storm blue eyes that were still red around the edges from her crying, before she closed them and turned onto her side and pulling a pillow over that she could wrap herself around before she drifted off into a restless sleep filled with nightmares focused on the dead bodies of her adopted parents biting into her and ripping away pieces of her flesh she simply said out loud to herself “I'm sorry, I watched you die and I couldn't stop it, I'm sorry.”


	2. The New Beginning

The sunlight coming through the windows was warm and bright, it shone down on Elyza sleeping form. She moved around a lot in her sleep, now Elyza was lying face down with her right leg hooked over a pillow and the blankets all lying on the floor around the bed. Elyza’s blonde hair was sprayed out in all directions of her head, some was going down her back, some across the pillows on either side of her head, and the rest was between her face and the pillow. Elyza began to groan as she turned herself around to lie on her back, a light sheen of sweat coated her forehead. She started letting out small moans in her sleep as she began to twitch her body. Elyza launched forward out of her bed screaming. Elyza began taking deep breaths, her head swivelling around the bedroom to make sure she was alone. Her legs swung out over the edge of the bed to rest flatly on the wooden floor as she brought her hands up to cup her face.

Her laboured breaths continued for a few minutes until she stood up, dropping her hands to her side. “Just a dream” she muttered a few times out loud as cracked her neck left and right before reaching up and stretching her back, letting a few joints crack. Elyza gripped her blood stained white tank at the bottom and began to drag it up over her well defined abs, then over her developed breasts covered in a black sports bra, once she’d pulled her head out of the shirt she shook her head from side to side to move all the hair from out of her face. Elyza looked down over her body to study the large tattoo that took up a fair amount of her left side. Her hand ran along the smooth soft skin as she studied the pattern, the design was of earth as if you were looking at it from a space station. 

When Elyza was growing up, all she’d ever wanted to do was be able to stand outside and look in, she’d wanted to see earth the way almost no one ever could. After she’d grown up a bit Elyza’s passions changed, she began to look for ways to help people. That’s why she’d gone to study biomedical science, in the hopes of working towards helping others. The bottom half of the planet looked as it were disappearing into darkness, but the blues and greens that doted the top half were vibrant and full of life. Elyza had never forgotten her childhood desires to see the earth, and now she could, whenever she wanted. Elyza of course had a few other tattoo’s covering parts of her body but this had been her first and up until now her favourite.

Elyza began to walk down towards the kitchen in her jeans and bra with her messy blonde bed hair waving in the air behind her. Besides being a beach house, Elyza’s adopted family had always intended for this house to be a sort of emergency home, somewhere for the family to gather if anything ever happened. “I guess this counts.” Elyza said out loud as she came to the conclusion. Just as she went to open the fridge to get some milk out she heard the doorbell. Cautiously moving towards the door, she tried to see whoever it was ringing. The front door was open and standing there with a bag over her shoulder was her Aunt Guinevere, or Qwen as Elyza liked to call her. “Qwen” she called softly as she ran to wrap her arms around her only aunt. 

“Lexy” she called out happily causing Elyza to roll her eyes at the pet name that she’d had since she’d been adopted. The hug was strong and filled with love, Guinevere brought her hand around to cup the back of Elyza’s head, holding her close scared to let go after some of the things she’d seen in the last day. “Are you ok?” she asked, Elyza could hear the concern in her voice as she pulled back to get a proper look at her aunt, she hadn't seen her since early last year and had missed her.

Qwen still had most of her head shaved with all the hair on the top of her head pushed back off of her face. The brown eyes that had watched a scared blonde child join her family all those years still held the same love and care in them that they’d had back then. She had on simple jeans and a white t-shirt never having been one for overly complicated clothing, that had been one of the things Elyza had loved about her, and she couldn't help but think that some of Qwen’s fashion sense had rubbed off on Elyza.

“Come in, I was just about to have breakfast.” “Sure Lexy, let me just put this bag in a room.” Elyza’s signature made its first appearance in days on her face as she said “I already took the mast, Qwen.” This caused Qwen to stop in her tracks, and turn her head slowly to face Elyza with a visible twinkle in her eye, “Oh did you know, well, we’ll just have to see how long that lasts then won’t we?” she chuckles to herself as she started up the stairs, but instead of turning right towards the mast she turned left to one of the smaller but still luxurious bedrooms. Felt a breeze coming through the open front door and through it she could see her bike still sitting there. Qwen must have seen it too, she thought to herself. Elyza began to remember the circumstances of how she’d gotten the bike and her smirk disappeared when she realised that now she’d have to tell Qwen that her brother had ripped his wife’s throat out with his teeth after coming back from the dead.

Elyza closed the door and quickly ran upstairs to grab a new shirt from her case, this time she decided to go for a long sleeved white shirt with the logo of a band covering the back of the shirt. If there was one thing that Elyza would waste money on, it was overpriced band merch. The tribal looking black ‘S’ took up most of back. The sleeves were long enough to reach to her knuckles. 

Elyza walked out of the room and went back downstairs to the kitchen where her aunt was waiting with a bowl of cereal for her. “Thanks” Elyza said without looking her aunt in the face. In an instant Qwen knew something was wrong with her niece, she’d always found Elyza easy to read where most people had struggled. “Hey Elyza” she started her voice calm but still holding its warmth, “what’s wrong?” Elyza sucked in a deep breath before she started to explain what had happened to her the night before, she explained how she’d gone for a glass of water, how it had led to watching a bloodbath right in front of her, by the end of her explanation a fresh batch of tears had found themselves forming in her eyes at just the memory of the experience. It helped that Elyza was now being held in one of the most comforting hugs she’d ever had in her entire life. “I’m sorry I didn't know what to do.” She blurted out through a voice hoarse from crying.

“I stood and watched but I couldn't do anything” Her aunt only pulled her closer with her own tears in her eyes after hearing the news of her brothers and sister in law’s deaths. “Shh, Shh. It’s ok Elyza, It’s ok.” She almost hummed into Elyza’s ear. Gently Qwen led Elyza to the large leather couch in the living room where they sat down and she allowed Elyza to simply rest and let out her tears, god knows after watching something like that Qwen would need to.

After about 20 minutes of this Elyza had started calmed down to the point where she could speak normally and tears were no longer falling from her eyes. “Come back to the kitchen, let’s get some food in you, ok?” she asked, Elyza simply nodded and followed her back into the kitchen. Once Elyza was seated with her bowl of cereal in front of her she noticed something about her aunt that she hadn't before. She was sweating and she was getting red. “Hey Qwen are you ok?” Elyza asked, “what, oh yes I’m fine Lexy, just a bit of a fever that’s all. Don’t worry about it.” She answered. Elyza went back to finishing her cereal, slowly taking her time to enjoy every bite. Elyza decided that she needed a shower to freshen up after her much needed crying session, she told her aunt, “I’m just gonna have a shower, I’ll be back down in a bit.” Her aunt smiled and just said “Sure Lexy, take your time.” Elyza planned to.

The red rings around her eyes had returned due to her much needed release with Qwen, she wasn't sure if she’d have been able to keep that in. Elyza was really happy that Qwen had been kind and forgiving, while it didn't help forgive herself for what happened completely, it was a start, because she knew what happened wasn't her fault, she guessed it was just survivor’s guilt. The ensuite bathroom attached to the master bedroom was the largest that Elyza had ever seen. The black tiles that coated the floor reached all the way up the walls and joined a black ceiling. The tiles almost looked like marble with the way that they reflected the light coming from the main overhead. The bathtub against the wall was almost the size of a bed, Elyza looked as if she could lie down completely in it without touching an edge. “Fuck me.” Elyza simply whispered when she turned to face the shower, there was no glass, the space where several shower heads fell from the ceiling was completely open. “I can see why mom and dad always wanted the master bedroom.” She said to herself quietly as she began to strip, first taking off her white shirt and her sports bra, allowing her larger than average breasts to breathe. They stood on her chest with a perkiness that Elyza was proud of, probably due to the fact that she actually rarely wore a bra. She ran her hand over the broken infinity symbol a few inches above her left nipple. 

She lifted her left foot up while leaning over, she hopped around on her foot for a few seconds while she was trying to pull the long sock down over her ankle. After she did the same with the other sock she chucked them on the slowly forming pile next to the extravagant that she had until now not noticed. She popped the button on her jeans while letting out a loud mix of a groan and a moan and the release, she began to shimmy them down her legs bending over once she got to her knees, once she had pulled them off from around her ankle she turned to look at her reflection in the mirror. Her blonde hair reached down to fall around her breasts to the top of her abs. The large portrait of her puppy took up nearly all her left thigh, she remembered the puppy, her adoptive parents had gotten him for her when she’d wanted a fish for a pet. 

“I wanted a fish.” She’d complained, “Well I get to name him and I’m naming him fish.” She’d said while pouting, the memory brought a large smile to her face. The portrait had been done after her favourite animal had been run over by one of the neighbours. As she stood there observing her muscled body in the near full height mirror decorating one of the walls next to the sink, she thought that she may as well get on with it, the shower looked incredibly inviting. She hooked her thumbs into the elastic of her rainbow coloured boyshorts as she began sliding them down over her smooth legs. 

The shower water didn't take very long to warm up, and once it did it felt like a waterfall was pouring down around her, the middle shower head above her with the other one on either side of the main one coming at her diagonally. The spray from every side meant she could just stand still without turning to get water on her front and back. She reached for the body was and began to use a soft sponge to wash herself, her arms were specifically focused on due to some of her adoptive mother’s blood still being on them from the night before. Once she’d finished the rest of her body after wood, she turned her face up so that it was in the direct path of the main shower head. Elyza relished the feeling of the drops of water raining down on her face, it felt cleansing. 

Elyza didn't know if it was the Australian in her but the water had always been calming to her. The beaches on the Great Barrier Reef had practically been her backyard before she’d moved to America. She had been the best swimmer in her entire school, not to mention that she was nearly an expert on a surfboard by the time she was 10. A few months before they moved to America, she’d come first place in a national surfing competition, in the under 12s bracket of participants. However, once they’d moved here, her skills had kinds of gotten a bit rusty, still her love of water had never faded.

After enjoying the perfectly heated water for a few minutes she reached out and turned the handle to turn the shower off, missing the water as soon as she did. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body, hooking it in front of her breasts with a simple knot. Her wet hair fell down to the middle of her back with all of the braids having been watered out. Pulling the case out from under her bed and dumping it on the large mattress she began to look for clothes to wear. First of all she picked her favourite pair of underwear, a black pair that were made out of the softest silk. She didn't bother with a bra cause it’s not like anyone would notice. She pulled out her pair of black jean shorts that went clung to her muscled thighs, reaching down to just above her knees, she quickly moved back into the bathroom and grabbed the white shirt to wear again, “How dirty could it be, I only just put it on?” she mumbled to herself out loud.

She spent the rest of the day with her aunt watching their shared favourite Sci-Fi show, Elyza would never say it out loud but she had the biggest crush on one of the cute guest stars, Elyza was in love with the way that the character used her power to try and do right by everyone possible, even at the expense of her own desires or feelings, Elyza loved that selflessness in the character. Every once in a while her aunt would cough and start sweating a little, Elyza asked “you alright?” on more than one occasion but Qwen always brushed her off with a casual “Yeah I’m fine Lexy.” always looking like she believed it too. 

It was after dinner that Qwen started getting bad. They’d just finished eating an oven pizza that had been in the freezer. Once Guinevere had put her plate into the dishwasher, she had just collapsed down on her side, “Qwen!” Elyza shouted falling to her knees next to someone she cared about, now two nights in a row. “I’m fine Lexy, seriously.” She said as she tried to push herself up off her arm. “Bullshit!” Elyza nearly shouted, she was aggravated that Qwen was stopping her from helping her aunt. “Tell me what it is really.” Elyza asked gently whilst putting her aunt’s arm over her shoulder. Once they were standing Qwen pulled her pants leg up on the right side to reveal a heavily bandaged calf. “One of those,” she paused trying to come up with a word to describe the dead that had recently turned cannibalistic, “I don’t know, one of those people I guess. 

She landed a pretty good bite on me, I must have gotten an infection off of it. I’ll be fine Elyza, I just need a good night rest.” At the mention of her first name Elyza knew something wasn't good, “OK lean on me, I’ll help you to your bedroom.” Qwen let out a tiny chuckle at that, “I bet you say that to all the girls.” Elyza knew she was trying to lighten the mood with the joke so she played along with it. “Only the pretty ones.”

Once Elyza had her aunt resting in bed with some antibiotics she’d found in the medicine cabinet she decided that some time on the bed would be a good end to the day, if she hurried she’d make the sunset. The house was on a beach front so it was rather easy, the back door of the house was made of glass, she looked through to see if any of those things were out there, when she was certain that there weren't any she unlocked the door. Bare feet soon left the smooth wooden floorboards of the deck and found soft green grass, after that it was the crunchy yet silky feeling of the sand. She was standing at the point just before the tide was carrying the water up the sand. The reds and purples that littered the skies above her were magnificent, she turned to run back up into the house having forgotten something that she realised was now were important. 

A few minutes later she was sitting back in the same place where she’d just sat except now she was cradling her sketchbook in her hand and was working as quickly as she could to capture the beauty that was raging through the sky above her. It had been a while since she’d last drawn but sitting here now on the cool sand with the sounds of the waves brushing up to just in front of her feet, the feel of the wind running through her long curly blonde hair, she couldn't imagine what had ever made her stop wanting to recreate the beauty around her. sitting like this for about an hour after the sun had set she heard a bone chilling scream come from a ways down the beach, she couldn't see anything after her head had snapped up in the direction of the noise. Truthfully she was glad she couldn't see anything, if someone as screaming like that still for as long as they were, that wasn't a pain she ever wanted to see.

Another rough night of sleep was all Elyza had gotten after she’d run back inside in case someone had come following the scream. What she hadn't counted on how ever was the scram following her. Elyza had the same dreams as she had the previous night only now it wasn't just her screams she heard, there were others, it was as if she was hearing the other scream for the first time. Downstairs in the kitchen she had started to make herself and Qwen breakfast while watching the news on a small portable TV on the island counter when she heard moaning and groaning from behind her, “you sound how I feel.” She quipped to her aunt while rubbing some sleep out of her eye, no response, “all right no jokes, anyway you want an apple, I know you love them.” 

She reached to the big cutting knife in the holder as she waited for a response. Before she’d finished her turn around to her aunt Guinevere had jumped onto her snarling and rabid like and animal. With the knife still in her hand Elyza had no way of preventing what happened, before they’d hit the ground her aunt had fallen head first right on to the blade. Elyza landed on her back with a thud that was twice as loud instants when the limp body of Qwen fell on top of her. Elyza’s grip on the knife was the tightest she’d ever held something. Her look of shock was glued to her face with her mouth open in surprise. Her aunt’s eyes were staring off to the side while the knife was piercing through her forehead with the tip of the blade blood soaked and coming out of the other side.

“Oh God!” Elyza whispered as her body realised what had just happened as she dropped her grip of the knife, the knife of course staying right where it was in her aunt’s head, she scrambled on her hands and knew to the other side of the kitchen. The sound of metal hitting the floor rang put around the room as the tip of the handle hid the tiled floor. With her back to the wall Elyza pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. As yet another set of tears began to make their way down her face, she’d have thought she’d run dry by now, apparently not. 

Elyza had no idea how long she’d stayed like that staring at the body of one of the greatest women she’d ever known, dead at her hand. Eventually she began to move her feet so she could stand, Elyza remembered her father had taken a knife to the chest without even flinching, whatever was happening to these people the head now must be the weak point she realised. 

Turning over the body of Qwen, Elyza could see that her eyes had started to turn yellow and the look that could be seen in said eyes was one of emptiness as if there was nothing left in them, not a hint of the person they used to be. Slowly Elyza reached up and shut her eyes with her thumb and index finger, while almost silently reciting the prayer she’d said for her parents on two nights ago. Gripping the handle of the blade again felt extremely wrong to her but Elyza wasn't going to leave a massive knife in the middle of her aunt’s head. After wiggling it around a little Elyza managed to pull it clean through, “sorry” she’d whispered once it had come out, it was all she physically could say but she knew it would never be enough to convey how she felt about what had happened. 

Qwen was not very heavy Elyza found out when she hooked her arm around her neck and under the knees, with her aunt’s body in hand Elyza went to the back door of the house, before opening it she looked back to the front door willing anyone else to walk through the door, when no one did Elyza sighed, “If they were going to get here they would of by now.”

The sun was near insufferable as if blazed down on Elyza’s back while she was on the grass with a shovel she’d gotten out of the tool shed around the side of the house. She’d been digging for hours and had only just reached six feet, Guinevere had always said she’d wanted to be buried in front of a beach, it was the only thing left that Elyza could do, from the news she’d been watching this morning it appeared that the whole world had just kicked it, people were rising from the dead and taking the living down with them only for them too to rise back up. After her aunt had attacked she’d heard the broadcaster say that if you were bitten you were dead in the next 24 hours. 

Elyza had run out of tears to cry earlier in the day, she’d watched three of the people she’d loved most in the world die right in front of her, not only that but Elyza had managed to lose two sets of parents before she even turned 20. Most people managed to hold onto their parents until they themselves had become parents.

Elyza had sat on the deck with a glass of water for hours after she had buried her aunt after wrapping her in a white sheet she’d found in the linen cabinet. She didn't even have anything to use as a head marker for her. Now she stared up at the sky with the same colours it had held last night but Elyza felt no rush to go get her sketchbook, she couldn't see the beauty anymore.


	3. The Way Forward

For two long weeks Elyza stayed in the house, waiting, hoping that someone else would walk through that front door. Every day she would wake up screaming from her nightmares of being eaten alive by her aunt and parents. Eventually she knew that she’d have to go outside to get food and supplies but she wasn't ready yet. Elyza didn't know how she possibly could be ready to face something like that, before shit hit the fan she’d been one of the most confident people she could think of, she didn't take shit from anyone and she could walk into a room knowing she was in control. Elyza was scared because those first few nights had shown her that it wasn't true anymore, how can you be confident in yourself when death is trying to tear you apart using your families mouths. Elyza needed to get better, she needed to find something to believe in, otherwise she may as well just walk into one of the hoards she’d seen from the roof. Elyza knew all this and decided today was the day that she was going to find something to fight for, to live for.

By now Elyza had been in every room in the house, made sure every door was locked and window sealed, with what had happened to Qwen she couldn't be too careful. It still hurt to even think about her aunt, how her body was in the ground. Elyza knew from the automated news broadcasts before they’d cut out a few days ago, that anyone bitten dies from a fever relatively soon, and then they come back. Elyza knew Qwen’s death wasn't her fault, it didn't really help that much.

The gym in the back of the house was large and it had every machine Elyza could imagine and more, she’d started a daily routine that helped her take her mind off of what was happening outside the house. After running for an hour Elyza did sets on some of the various weight lifting machines, she was able to do more and more sets every day, her squat record was 168 pounds at 3 reps, her ass was certainly thanking her for the workout.

After her gym sessions she liked to go up onto the house to watch the city, to see if anything had changed, but more so because the wind felt nice along with the sun, it was a good cooldown for her.

Today when she went up to the roof she could see some of the military trucks driving through the streets a few blocks away, grabbing the binoculars she’d found in the house a few days ago and bringing them to her face, Elyza watched as the trucks pulled up to a stop in the middle of a street. An officer she guessed was in charge started calling out, she couldn't hear him but she could guess the words. He was saying something like “We are here to evacuate all civilians to a safe zone.”

The shooting started as soon as the last house door was closed and there were people standing all through the streets. They were cut down like weeds. It was a mass execution with the military firing blindly into the crowds managing to never actually hit each other. Elyza pulled the binoculars away from her face as she felt like she was going to be sick.  
Elyza brought the binoculars up to her face to try and see if anyone managed to survive the onslaught, she was hopeful when she saw a little girl running down the street away from the soldiers. Her vision focused on their commander who pulled out a rather large pistol, holding it in only one hand as if to show off. Her heart broke when he took aim and she saw the little girl’s head almost explode from the power of the round. Elyza had been able to stop herself from looking even for the slightest hope that he’d miss and the little girl would get away. Even though her father had been military he’d always said that the military were only the good guys until they weren't, Elyza was now understanding what he’d meant and she was hoping against hope that he hadn't been part of slaughters like this one.

After they’d made sure none of the casualties were coming back with knives to the head they began to enter the houses with large bags, coming out every few minutes with their bags full of supplies and valuable items like meds and weapons. After they’d hit every house on the block they got back in their trucks and Elyza realised they were coming for the beach houses. She was next.

“Hide, Hide.” She said to herself as she looked for somewhere in this massive house where she could hide from the military when they got here. Then she remembered the attic. She ran to the second floor and started looking for the hidden door, it had been painted to look like part of the wall and there were no rises in the wood to make it stand out.  
Once she’d opened the door she left it unlocked because Elyza knew that if they found a locked door, they’d think there was something in there worth locking a door for. The room was small and dark with very little space, but Elyza had hidden here before, not from the military, but she was proud of the fact that she always won hide and seek with her secret hiding spot. The floorboard was lighter than she remembered and she easily lifted it away to reveal the empty space that was about to save her life. 

The squeeze was a bit tighter than it had been a few years ago but it wasn't entirely uncomfortable and no sooner was she in and the floorboard perfectly replaced than when she heard a man’s voice coming through a megaphone. “Citizens, please exit your homes, we are here to evacuate you to a safe zone.” Elyza dreaded what she was about to hear.

The shooting was only for a few seconds this time, she guessed that not many people were in the beach houses. She hid for the next 5 minutes occasionally hearing a shot going off sometimes followed by a scream, sometimes not. It was then that Elyza was just able to recognise voices in the houses, she tried not to listened but it couldn't be helped, “hey man you see that chicks face, one minute there, the next boom.” She could hear laughter coming from downstairs and she wanted to throw up and she wanted to make those soldiers hurt.

Elyza heard the door to the attic open and could hear the distinct sound of two sets of footsteps. “Wow man, did you get a look at the bike out the front.” “Damn she’s a beaut. Hey after patrol you want to drive back up and grab it.” “You know it.” Oh no, Elyza knew which bike they were taking it, over her dead body she thought but then realised that that’s probably the way they’d want it. Once they’d had a look around and not found anything she heard them and Elyza let out a small sigh of relief as she wiped away the small amount of sweat that had formed on her brow. Elyza waited around in her space for the next 15 minutes just to make sure that they were gone. She’d heard the trucks drive off but that didn't mean she was alone again.

With the floorboard lifted off Elyza climbed out of her space back into the room. As quietly as she could Elyza exited the room, her socked feet making very little noise as she moved towards the second story balcony, on the street she didn't see any trucks but what she did see was something a hell of a lot scarier. The dead must be attracted to sound as there were at least a hundred of them on the street of her house. With no purpose they just shuffled around the street, surprisingly never bumping into each other. The shooting form the soldiers must have led them here, which means those soldiers had a horde following them, which would only be getting bigger with all the civilians they were murdering.

Elyza slowly made it downstairs to the kitchen, it was bare. They had taken everything, the food, the knives, even the wine bottles from the rack, she had nothing left. She sprinted up to her bedroom and she let out a groan when she saw that her gun had been taken along with the ammo clips. Elyza couldn't wait to be ready anymore, she needed to leave or she was going to starve, and end up as one of those things anyway.

Once Elyza was dressed in her jeans, combat boots, shirt and leather jacket she said “now or never.” She flipped down up aviator glasses so that they were resting on top of her hair which she’d tied back in half tail with the rest of her hair flowing down her back. She headed for the backdoor, it was clear outside for as far as she could see up and down the beach, they must only be on the streets she said. Her left hand reached towards the door, her right was clutching a black metal baseball bat that she’d found in one of the bedrooms. 

As she crept slowly along the beach she startled to twirl the bat in her hand and spinning it around like she used to do with umbrellas. When she felt the bat connect with something very solid she reacted almost as quickly, the metallic sound was exactly the same as if she’d hit a baseball. She looked on the ground to where someone was trying to get back up again, they were groaning and snarling, Elyza knew this was one of them. “You can do this, it’s not whoever it was anymore, they’re already dead.” She said to herself as she started to walk backwards with tiny steps, the thing following her at the same pace. She closed her eyes and began to squeeze the handle hard as she used all the muscle in her arms that she’d worked on for years, all for this one swing.

The sound of bones cracking and breaking forced her to open her eyes as she looked at the body lying at her feet, half its head caved in on one side. Elyza looked at the head of the bat and saw that it was absolutely covered in blood. She reached her arm down to try and dry it of on the person’s clothes. “They really need a name, I can’t just call them things.” She said out loud as she started moving forward again with the smell of the dead body soon leaving her, or she started getting used to it, she didn't know.

Elyza started walking in the sand hoping to give herself more warning if she ran into one of the walkers, she’d decided to call them. The strip mall she was headed to had been her favourite when the family had used to come to the beach house, it had been in walking distance and the shops had heaps of stuff. She reached the street which acted as a connector between the mall and the beach. There was only one walker in the way, her face looked as if a rabid dog had had a few rounds with it, well she thought one kinda had. The rest of her body looked bite free, she was in a bikini and Elyza thought to herself that if the woman was alive Elyza would probably try to buy her a drink. “Hey hot stuff, how’s it hanging?” Elyza called out as she rushed the walker and spinning her body around, dragging the bat with her for the momentum that she then used to nearly remove the walkers head. The move must have at least broken its neck. It looked dead enough and it wasn't trying to bite her and that was all that mattered.

The street of the strip mall was empty, Elyza couldn't see a walker or a person for that matter anywhere. The first shop on her left was a clothing store, it appeared empty but to check Elyza lightly knocked her bat against the metal frame of the door, the glass was scattered all over the floor, clearly someone had the same idea as her. She didn't hear anything and no walkers came shuffling up to bite her so she decided it was safe enough to explore.

The store had pretty much already been ransacked of anything she liked except for a nice big back pack that she’d be able to put stuff in, as well as a sports bag that she stuffed inside the back pack. She continued this process for the next few stores, not finding much worth keeping, Elyza realised that she must have been late to the looting. When she reached the fourth shop on the left however she noticed that there were two walkers inside, she quietly snuck up to the first one and proceeded to cave in its head. The second one must have noticed her without her realising as before she could steady herself after the first swing it was nearly upon her, she managed to turn her body just enough to be able to get the thing to bite down on the metal bat instead of her arm. With its mouth full Elyza punted it in the stomach. Once it was on its back Elyza grabbed the bat handle and brought it down hard on the walkers head, grunting with the exertion.

With the two walkers dispatched Elyza began to look around the relatively small convenience store. There was a counter but every shelf in the room was empty, the place had been picked dry. Just as she was about to move on to the next she noticed the large padlocks on the door to the back room. Elyza had assumed if the front was emptied the back would be too. Apparently not. Whoever locked this door must have intended to come back as the locks were on this side of the door. The first padlock was on the bottom of the door. The bit of metal nailed to the door with the hole that the padlock going through it was easy enough to kick off for Elyza. The second one would be a little more difficult.

Elyza gently put down the bat trying to make as little noise as possible. The second lock was at the top of the door, it was the same type as the first one. With her left foot staying firmly planted on the ground Elyza, leaning against the door for support. Brought her right foot above her head, doing the splits in mid-air. With her body sideways Elyza brought her right foot down towards her body and then launched it up with all available force, she did this a few times until she felt the nails breaking through the wood, with one more strong kick the lock began to fall to the ground only to be caught by a very Elyza thanks to her amazing reflexes she'd learned from a life of playing sports.

Bat in hand ready to swing at anything inside Elyza tries the handle. The door opens and inside she finds the mother load. There is food everywhere, the stockroom has boxes of everything, there’s breads, milks, water crates all the basics were here along with a few extravagances. Elyza’s eyes lock with a small box filled with packets of gum. “Come to mama, beautiful.” She says as she moves towards the box grabbing it and putting it into the sports bag that she’d put on the floor. Elyza began to fill the two bags with essentials, battery’s, canned foods, anything that would help her last. The small amount of light that was coming in through the windows at the front of the shop was making it hard to see but Elyza wasn't going to risk using fire to see, in a confined space like this it was asking for trouble, she made do with the light she had.

With both bags filled she exited the store, and hardly a dent in the stockpile made, Elyza closed up the door again, this time dragging a shelf in front of it to hide it from onlookers. She locked the shelf wheels in place and walked out the shop door. She lightly jogged back down the street trying to be quiet but quick, she wanted to get back to the house as soon as she could so she could come back out again. With a stockpile as large as that she wanted as much as she could get before something else found it. It was fairly early in the morning so Elyza had at least 10 hours before the sun went down.

The next 5 trips went off without a hitch and Elyza had managed to transport nearly everything usable from the store to her house. The last of the stores didn't fill one bag so she decided to go to the next store then call it a day. Just her luck the next store was a gun store. This was the only store on the block that had its shutters down. She wasn't gonna be able to get through those. Elyza dropped the slightly filled sports bag under a bench and threw the back pack with the baseball bat inside onto the roof of the gun store. 

Elyza started a run towards the wall gathering as much momentum as she could, she got a few steps up the wall and it was enough for her to grab a ledge, she gracefully pulled herself up and onto the roof of the gun shop and began looking for an air conditioner vent that would let her into the store. The grate was easy enough to pull off and the space was large enough for her to crawl into. Grabbing the back pack that had landed nearby and put it on her shoulders. The metal was cold on her skin as she started crawling through them looking for a grate that opened into the shop.

Once she found it Elyza used her feet to kick it in. There was a loud crash as it landed on something glass inside the store, the glass smashed below her and Elyza looked to see if any walkers were attracted to the noise. A fat walker moved towards the noise, it was wearing a yellow shirt and Elyza could see a large blood stain that was originating right about where his heart would have been, next to it was a name tag that read Steve. “Sorry bout this Steve, no hard feelings yeah?” Elyza joked as she dropped through the vent with her bat held above her head. When her feet hit the ground Elyza heard the sickening crunch of the bat connecting with the top of the walker’s head. Steve fell forward with the top of his head curved under where the bat had landed.

“I’m gonna need some light.” She said as she started feeling around Steve’s pockets for a key chain. “Hey, Stevie mate which key is it?” she asked, and then paused for a second when she realised how Australian. “Never mind mate, I think I’ll find it myself.” After feeling around for a lock in the dark and fiddling with the keys she finally found the right combination. The shutters were soon up and Elyza could see, if the store next door had been the motherload for food. She’d just found the motherload for guns. “Americans.” She mutters to herself as she starts exploring the shop looking for the ones that would be most useful.

The knife section of the shop drew her attention as only earlier today she’d seen how effective the sound of a gunshot was at drawing hundreds of walkers right to your ass. The first thing she pulled off the shelf was a wraparound thigh holder for medium sized throwing knives. Elyza fit it around her thigh and found that she liked how well it fit. She saw the bullseye sitting in the back of the shop and in the blink of an eye she’d pulled a knife out of the holder and had sunken it into the dead centre of the target. One side of her mouth pulled up in a smirk that she didn't think would leave her face. She ran outside to grab the sports bag that was mostly empty and began to load every knife from the section into it.

The next thing she looked at were the pistols, sitting on special display were two .50 calibre desert eagles. Elyza verbally went “ooh” as she laid eyes on them. She found a harness that wrapped around her shoulders, the two magnum’s fit snugly beneath her underarms with the leather jacket concealing them very well. Elyza’s next discovery was a belt holster with space for several magazine’s and two pistols. The two guns that went in there were two Berretta M9s. A personal favourite of her fathers and the first gun he had ever taught her to shoot when she had turned 12, Martha hadn't let him hear the end of it for a month. Little Elyza had loved every second of the target practice time with the man she had accepted as her father figure.

Elyza loaded the rest of the pistols, making sure the safeties were on on all of them into the two bags, the sports bag was now very full. The last two things Elyza grabbed were a Spaz 12 shot gun sitting on the wall, Elyza found a piece of strong string at the end of the handle which she tied around her wrist. A black assault rifle was the last thing she picked up, wrapping the band over one of her shoulders the gun fitted diagonally down her back.

The trip back to the beach house was slower than the others had been, the blades were particularly heavy. Another walker had appeared in the alley between the shops. As soon as he saw her he started shuffling towards her, she put the two bags down while drawing a knife out of her new sheath. “Now don’t you move a muscle, don’t want this to hurt too much.” She said out loud as she tossed the knife through the air with pinpoint accuracy, the blade going clean through the walker’s head, "Cheers for that".

Elyza thought to herself as she was walking back that she was having too much fun with killing the walkers. And so started an internal debate, one side arguing the walker’s previous humanity the other arguing how they were just hollow shells now with no desires but to kill and eat. “There’s nothing I can do to help them but put them down.” She said out loud to no one in particular having reached a verdict with herself, “no reason I can’t have a little fun while I’m at it.” Elyza was starting to realise that she was truly starting to forgive herself for her family’s deaths, the deaths that hadn't been her fault in the first place. 

Once she got back from the gun store she knew she had to move her bike away somewhere so those military dick heads didn't take it. As she was wheeling it through the house and round to the back she had an idea. Elyza ran upstairs and grabbed her stereo, she pulled the shutter door to the garage open and put the stereo down in the centre. The stereo was battery powered and lasted for hours from memory. She left it blasting Slipknot's greatest hits loud enough for walkers to hear for miles.

Elyza waited for the next hour on the roof of the garage as walkers began to pile into her garage being attracted to the noise. When the garage was packed to the limit she jumped down and before any of them had the chance to notice she pulled the door down using its handle. She spent the next 10 minutes knifing any walker that hadn't made it into the garage. She only just made it back onto the garage roof before a truck showed up with the two men she assumed were here for her bike, she’d never gotten a chance to see their faces. They were lightly armed, from what she could see only a pistol each.

They didn't even notice the extra dead bodies on the road, they must have thought they were the ones who’d gotten head shots on earlier when they were making their slaughter rounds. Elyza could hear them joking about their funniest walker kills, one was bragging about dropping one of a three story building while the other was sharing a big story about how he’d taken one on barehanded. “Well, maybe you’ll be lucky enough to have another story to share.” Elyza said, the sarcasm was impossible to miss in her voice.  
Before they made it to the main gate they heard the garage door being pounded on by the walkers inside. They must have thought it was just one or two because they had their guns drawn and were slowly making their way towards the door. A man with black skin stood back with his pistol aimed at head height while his partner knelt down to grab the handle, they nodded at each other before he started lifting the door. They had no time to react as the walkers were on them in seconds, tearing them apart piece by piece, the soldiers blood was being used to paint the side walk.

Elyza stood on the roof and remarked “that’ll teach you” before jumping onto the driveway up to the house, the pain filled screams being filtered out by the groaning of the mass of walkers. That night Elyza spent most of her time going through the supplies she’d gathered and writing up an inventory.

When it was midnight Elyza snuck back out being very careful in where she was going. Elyza was scared now, the darkness left her with virtually no visibility, she’d watched the horde move on hours ago. She needed to move the truck or the military would know there was someone in the house. Elyza was armed with her throwing knives and her two pistols and two magnums. Once she was in the truck she flipped the sun visor on the driver’s side and a set of keys fell into her hand. The key chain that the keys were attached to was of a busty woman in a bikini. “Perverts.” Elyza sighed as she started the car.

Elyza drove it onto the beach and then drove for five miles before leaving it in the shade of a few trees. The walk back along the beach to the house could have been peaceful if she wasn't scared of being ripped apart by a walker she couldn't see coming. Elyza decide to turn this into a run, not wanting to be caught out by anything because she had been moving too slowly.

She’d made it back to the beach house with no encounters which was rather surprising. She guessed something else must have drew the walkers attention away from her. Letting her curiosity get the better of her Elyza climbed to the roof of her house to see if she could see anything. “Bloody hell.” She exclaimed as she saw the raging fires that were coming from the suburbs on the other side of the city, “every walkers going to see that, poor bastards whoever they are.”

Elyza decided it was time to call it a night and went back to her master bedroom, and after a short but sweet hot shower using some of the last of her hot water Elyza slammed her face into the pillows and was asleep near instantly, her dessert eagles and a two large knives sitting on her bedside table. Tonight was one of the best sleeps Elyza had had in a while, she’d finally realised what she was fighting for. A chance. A chance for something better to come along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise Alicia will be in the next chapter.  
> Uni has me swamped down so I cant write as much as I'd like.


	4. It was just a Supply Run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally introduced Alicia, after three chapters of just Elyza, and they hit it off

Over the next week Elyza continued to grow her inventory, the first day she made several trips to completely empty the gun store, grabbing more assault rifles and shotguns, even a sniper rifle, as well as all the ammo the store held in the back. There was nothing left at all. She’d also moved the military truck to the front of her house as no one had even come to check what had happened to it. Elyza guessed the massive fire that night must have had something to do with it.

Elyza was out on a gathering trip, it was nearing early afternoon, she was crouched on a rooftop looking through her binoculars. She’d discovered a military supply zone. She couldn't see any soldiers, and she couldn't see any bodies lying in the streets. “Either they were all turned or they’re all hiding.” She concluded out loud. Elyza turned to the windows to see if any reflections were coming off of barrels of scopes. Ten minutes she spent scanning every window in range of the drop zone.

As Elyza approached the gate with a large machete in each hand she started to notice the small blood spatters that littered the ground, and when she walked past a large crate she looked back to see the first body. He lay there with his head forward as his brains were painting a picture behind him. The gun was sitting in his hand at his side. Elyza visibly relaxed at this, understanding that if he shot himself they most likely were overrun at some point.

This didn't mean she let her guard down, her arms were raised ready to start cutting down any of them that tried to get the jump on her. The padlock that was keeping the gate sealed lay smashed on the ground, along with the gate itself, this must have happened recently she guessed as the soldiers body still looked relatively fresh. 

“Now let’s see what these pricks have for me.” Elyza declared. The building the gate had been protecting was not overly large, it was only one floor and didn't look very well maintained. “They must've been grasping at straws.” Before she enters Elyza uses the handle of the machete to knock louder on the door to draw any walkers inside towards her, surprises weren't all they were cracked up to be anymore.

The groaning caught her attention and soon after that the sounding of clothes scraping along the ground followed. The walker slowly shuffling towards Elyza didn't look like she had any visible bites, upon closer inspection Elyza noticed a bullet hole right where her heart would have been. That would have been a kill shot. “Sorry about this honey.” Elyza says as she brings the machete straight down onto her head, splitting it clean halfway down. The groan ceased immediately and was replaced by banging from the metal door to the building.

After taking a few minutes to analyse Elyza moved towards the door and in one fluid motion pulled it open and hiding herself behind it at the same time. Her head poked around the corner and she could see two soldiers shuffling around in full combat gear, one with a bite on his hand and the other with one on his calf, “probably thought they were safe at home base.” Elyza reasoned. These two were probably the reason that this place was abandoned, “They turned inside and infected the rest from the inside.”

Swinging the blades around in her hands Elyza brought them down diagonally taking out both walkers at the same time. The groaning was now non-existent.

Elyza turned to look inside the small building. There were windows all around that were letting in light. She kept her now blood soaked machetes up just in case. There crates stacked on each other all around the space.

Elyza moved to the closest crate in the room, once the lid opened Elyza was shocked at what was inside, there were three 50 calibre sniper rifles sitting there all with extra powerful scoped sitting on them. The other crates held similar items. Some had assault rifles and others had metal boxes of ammo. The last crate she found was a relatively small one but inside were three boxes of grenades and a bunch of flares.

“Fucking hell. Were they going to war or something?” Elyza exclaims as she moves back to look around at the arsenal she’d found. Deciding that it was probably a good idea to get all this somewhere safe Elyza walked out of the building. She saw several military cargo trucks lined up but before she could move towards them she heard what sounded like a car crash a few blocks away.

Elyza was off before she had even fully registered the sound. If it was even possible that it was soldiers she didn't want to be here when they were. The sound came from the direction she’d come so she had no choice but to run towards it. As she was running she began to hear people calling out to each other. “Nick move it now!” a woman was shouting, to which someone else, Elyza assumed it was Nick, responded with “Not without you come on Alicia!” Elyza was on the second floor of a building looking down on to the street where she saw a boy with greasy hair and baggy clothes trying to reach someone who was trapped inside an overturned car. There was a walker horde of about 20 slowly coming up the street towards them, that number would soon double thanks to the sound the crash had caused.

“Nick run now!” she heard the woman’s voice again. As he looked up He saw how close the horde was to them now and even from a distance Elyza could see the fear written all over his face. She recognised the look, she’d seen it in the mirror when this shit had first started. Elyza knew she was about to make a terrible mistake, and she did it anyway.  
Glass shattered around the rock that Elyza had thrown as she was running towards the window. She could feel the shards of glass around her as she leaped through the already broken glass. Rolling through on the landing Elyza tossed one of her machetes to the man’s feet, “Go for the head!” she screamed at him. The shock kept him still for a few seconds, it didn't look like anything was registering in his head. “Blade! Heads! Now!” she shouted as she started running towards the hoard. “Oi fuck buckets, ever heard that blondes are more fun.” Elyza shouted as she threw all the blades she had in her thigh belt, taking out six of them before she reached the horde.

Her body was twirling around the walkers, her blade colliding with body parts of all kinds. Elyza was swinging at their heads and her feet were kicking out at any that got to close. She found herself in the centre of the hoard fending of any and all comers. Elyza was nearly blinded with all the blood that was flying around her, her face was soaked as she guessed her clothes were too. She was keeping count and could see that there were only 4 left. Her final spin took out all four of them with one swing of her blade. 

With the tip of the blade resting against the hard pavement Elyza placed both her palms flat down as she bent over until her head was beneath her elbows and her ass was stretched out behind her. Out of breath she glared at nick, “Mate, seriously.” Elyza drops her head back down as she tries to get a few deep breaths in. “You couldn't even pick it up?” she looks at him and then just sighs as she pulls herself up to stand proud. “Fuck me.” She whispers, not loud enough for him to hear.

Nick just stands there looking at her like she’s got two heads. “Oi” she shouts in his face as she pushes him in the shoulder, “We gonna help her or not.” “What, what, uh yeah, Alicia I got help.” Elyza just rolls her eyes as she grabs the door and with Nick’s help begins to slowly drag it open. “Are you fucking pulling or what?”

Elyza’s heart nearly gives out on her when she sees the beautiful face of the girl who crawls out of the wreckage. “I, uh mean. Hello, I’m Elyza Lex at your service.” She says as she stretches out her hand to the girl wearing an Adidas sweat jacket with short jean shorts and a flannel shirt tied around her waist. Elyza can’t stop staring at her eyes, those big beautiful green eyes, she’s not sure she’s ever seen anything so beautiful and pure. Alicia just stares down at Elyza outstretched hand like it might bite her if she gets to close.  
“Elyza just took down the hoard coming for us.” Alicia’s eyes barely widen in surprise as her gaze drifts past Elyza to the dozens of walker bodies littering the streets behind her. “Really, all of them” she gestures to the numerous bodies, “by herself.” The look on her face gives the impression that she doesn’t believe a word, “shame I missed it, I hope I’m there next time.”

Elyza’s already getting pissed at this girl, that’s gotta be a record for her, fallen in love and getting pissed in under ten seconds, she was annoyed. And she loved it. She dropped her hand to her side, “stick around a bit princess and you might just get the chance.” Elyza says with a new smirk becoming plastered to her face. The two girls just stared, waiting for the other to make the first move, say the first word. “Why don’t we…” Nick tries to say but is instantly silenced when two glares meet him, and decides for the sake of his dignity that it’s probably better to let these two do their thing.

“You guys got a place to stay?” Elyza asked them both but never leaving Alicia’s eyes. “Yeah we do.” Alicia replied almost instantly, “What, no we don’t” Nick snapped at her. Alicia’s gaze finally broke from Elyza’s to turn to Nick, Nick looked like he wanted to shit himself on the spot. “Right then. It’ll be dark soon so you’re both coming with me.” Elyza says, walking past Alicia stopping ever so slightly to get a tiny sniff of her beautiful smell before winking right at Alicia.

Alicia knew she was burning red right now. She’d felt her pulse quicken as she’d locked eyes with the Australian woman who’d just saved her and her brother. Elyza’s eyes had locked on hers but Alicia allowed hers to roam, soaking in every detail of Elyza’s rugged appearance, her blood soaked clothes to her long blonde hair. She didn't know why she’d tried to fight it by being difficult, but now she did. Elyza was clearly enjoying it, and so was she. 

Her and her brother quickly fell in behind the badass blonde and Alicia couldn't help but notice that said badass also had an amazing ass that she wouldn't mind getting a closer look at. When she realised where her thoughts were leading her she looked up only to be met with the gorgeous deep blue eyes of the woman she’d been ogling, and she knew Elyza had seen where she was staring. Now she just smirked back and Alicia could swear that her hips began to shake a tiny bit more.

Nick walked along side Alicia, his head constantly moving in all directions as he held fists at his side, as if he was psyching himself up for some sort of fight. Elyza stopped and Alicia walked right into her, her hand accidentally grabbing Elyza’s ass for support. “Sweetcheeks, I thought I’d have to buy you dinner first.” Elyza jokes as she turns around and face them. “Keep talking and you’ll see where my hand goes.” Alicia came back with. Elyza feigned shock before replying, “Ooh Kinky, you just keep getting better buttercup” Before she handed over her machetes, one to each of them. “Now as much as I love flirting with a pretty girl, I am able to keep track of my surroundings, and these surroundings call for you to be able to defend yourselves.” Alicia’s pink cheeks got redder when she heard Elyza call her pretty but she quickly covered it by faking a yawn, Elyza saw right through it.

“Now if you two are keeping my ass covered” Alicia noticed Elyza’s smirk get the tinniest bigger as she realised the pun she’d made, “you’re gonna need these. Now like I said before to statue boy here, aim for the head and don’t hesitate, believe me you’re doing them a favour.” Elyza finished and turned around to continue walking. Alicia felt the handle was warm from Elyza’s grip, the blood covered blade wasn't overly heavy and Alicia felt a bit better knowing she could at least attempt to defend herself now. Alicia decided to try to be the bigger person, “Thanks. Elyza.” Without even turning to face her Elyza boasted, “Don’t worry honey, I ain't letting nothing happen to that gorgeous face. I’m the only one that gets to eat you.” Nick’s eyes went wide at the statement as he stared at the woman who’d saved his life and not stopped surprising him since. Alicia didn't think it was possible to get any redder unless she’d been doused in red paint.

They’d been walking for what felt like hours, Alicia and Nick had used that time to explain their situation, how the two of them had been separated on a supply run to load up their ship, to Elyza. “So there’s our side, how bout yours there Lexy.” Nick asked and before he could register his next step Elyza had one of her eagles pointed right at him, “You've no right to call me that!” She shouted into his face, the nickname had brought back memories of her favourite aunt whom she’d stabbed in the head only a few weeks ago. “Hey whoa whoa, cool it there.” When she didn't hear her, Alicia she stretched out her hand and wrapped it around the hand holding the gun to her brother’s head. Alicia could see that Elyza was very distressed and that screaming at her wouldn't help the situation any. “He’s sorry.” When nick didn't immediately apologize Alicia stamped on his foot and he stammered out a very quick “sorry” before dropping his head as the gun was lowered.

Before they could keep moving however they heard the growling that meant a walker was nearby. They turned around to look the way they’d come, the horde that was getting closer to them was even bigger than the one that had been attacking the two siblings. “Come on run.” Nick said as he made to start running from them, he didn't make it very far before Elyza grabbed his arm and ripped the machete out of his hand, she was angry at him but knew that he had done nothing wrong so now a ton of walkers get to feel her rage, “Not yet, Mommy's got some anger issues that need expressing.”

She turned to Alicia and with a much gentler motion she reached out her hand and gripped the machete in Alicia’s. Their fingertips met and Elyza felt the smooth unblemished skin that was delicate and beautiful. Elyza stood facing the hoard a machete in each hand, “You wanted to see me in action princess.” Before Alicia even has a chance to speak Elyza is sprinting towards the horde, the last thing Alicia hears her shout before she starts swinging is “Hey! Shitstains.” If the situation wasn't what it was she thinks that she’d probably laugh at the beautiful girl’s brazen nature, her next thought is did she really just use beautiful to describe the other girl.

Elyza twirled the blades in her hand, spinning backwards, crouching, jumping, and winning. “15, 16, 17” she was counting her kills. She wasn't even halfway through the horde and she was started to sweat from her brow, one particularly large walker was heading towards her with his fat arms reaching out towards her. Without stopping or even slowing down Elyza jumped of the back of a walker whose head she’d just split in half, her next step was on the shoulder of the large walker. With her foot resting on the shoulder for an instant, Elyza brought her whole body forward towards her leg as she started to flip off of him. She brought her machetes together and the blades joined at the back of his head just before she drove them up and through his brain. She landed on the ground in a perfect stance to continue fighting.

Alicia was watching with awe as this woman danced with these monsters, she didn't even think Elyza was fighting them anymore, just toying with them before she got bored and killed them. Alicia wasn't going to even try to deny the butterflies in her stomach as she marvelled as the woman whom she’d only just met took on at least 50 biters when she could've run away. Elyza had known they could have run the other way, and Alicia felt a little flustered when she realised that Elyza wasn't just doing this out of a need to express anger, but Elyza was doing this to impress her. Alicia confirmed this when she caught Elyza’s eye in the middle of the horde and saw her smirk while winking at her before she threw one of the blades from her thigh without even looking and it landed right between the eyes of a walker that had been moving towards her turned back.

Elyza had worked out her rage at Nick, he wasn't to blame, and no one was. She understood that and was now playing around with the walkers just to impress Alicia. Just before the last walker was about to bite into her arm she leant the machete bladed flat against her arm and thrust it up and straight into her head, “Not today sunshine” the body fell still and then it fell to the ground after she wrenched the blade out. Elyza stood with her back straight, machetes in her hands with the blades in a rest position, and her head down taking in all the bodies that surrounded her. She truly commanded death, Elyza thought.

Nick ran up to her arms out to check if she was ok. “I’m sorry Elyza” he said as she looked up at his face. He truly meant it now, not because he was scared of what she’d do to him. But because he hadn't been able to see that something was hurting their saviour but he’d made it worse, regardless if he’d meant to or not, he knew that it was easiest to hurt someone when you weren't trying to. He knew about that, he couldn’t stop hurting his family with his addiction, but he could try to not hurt this new girl he’d noticed his sister taking an eye to. He could see the pain she was carrying. She nodded at him and said “I’m sorry too, for pointing a gun at you.” She said with remorse, “Now where’s that cute sister of yours.” Her smirk was back in place and her mask hiding herself again. 

“Hey yo, Babygirl” she shouted in Alicia’s direction, “we’re moving out.” Alicia just stares at the woman, “I ain’t no one’s Babygirl, Blondie.” Alicia says sternly as she grabs the machete out of the Australians had, feeling the warm skin of the woman, her mind instantly wondering what it would feel like against other parts of her body.  
Elyza passes the other machete to Nick but he just stands there as she moves to catch up to his sister. He is nothing if not outright confused at the tension between the two of them, the flirting between them is just so much, he’s not sure how much more he can take. He just shakes his head and falls instep behind the two women.

“So Babygirl, looks like this supply run didn’t turn out to badly for you.” Elyza starts off lightly while gesturing to herself. Alicia just sighs as the woman completely ignores her previous warning. The smirk was the worst part because she hated it and wanted to smack it off but she also loved the confidence it represented in the woman beside her. Elyza sees the eye role that follows her question and simply laughs as they keep moving.

They walked for another 20 minutes before they got to the strip mall that Elyza had ransacked in her first week, the sun was resting on the horizon, in an hour it would be down. “Fuck my feet hurt” Elyza said as she started hopping up and down trying to get her shoelaces tied again. Alicia tries and fails miserably to hide a chuckle as this badass who took on a whole horde falls on her side trying to tie her shoe. Elyza lies on her side and reaches out to Alicia for help. Smiling back Elyza just walks past her. “Cupcake, don’t leave me.” Elyza calls out to the girl before quickly getting up and following the two who were now ahead of her. 

Alicia stopped as they pulled up in front of one of the clothes shops near the alley to the beach, she had her face pressed up against the glass trying to see into the dark store through tinted glass. “See something you like.” Elyza asks as she poses so her reflection is next to Alicia’s face. “Not yet” Elyza’s shoulders slump instantly and she wears a pout on her face as Alicia moves towards the door. “Hey wait what are you doing?” Nick moves to stop her, “We should be getting somewhere safe. How are we gonna find the other’s if we’re here window browsing?” Alicia blankly looks at her brother. “Well we’re not getting back to them tonight so there’s no harm in looking, right?” she directs her question at Elyza. Before she answers Elyza knocks her gun against the metal frame and when nothing comes stalking towards them, “right, you’re all good, is there anything else I could do for you mam?” Nick just looks at her “Thanks Elyza.” He says with a flat voice.

Once Alicia is in the store her attention is immediately drawn to the flannel shirts that take up a whole wall of the store. The plaid shirt around her waist had given Elyza hope but seeing where the girl was walking, Elyza looked up to the ceiling and whispered a quick “thank you.”

While Alicia looked at the plaid Nick moved off to look at the clothes in the men’s section. Elyza couldn’t really blame him, it was the apocalypse and all and Elyza understood that but seriously if there was ever a time to get better clothes.

Elyza snuck up behind Alicia, being extra careful to stay quiet, when she was practically breathing down her neck getting ready to say something snarky to the beautiful girl, “Next time try a different perfume, it’s really,” Alicia paused trying to find the right word to finish her sentence “distinct.” Alicia turns around to study Elyza’s shocked face, “I think I’ll take the red one.” Elyza quickly grabbed the red one before she realised what she was doing and followed her to the centre of the store. 

“Thanks but I already got one.” Alicia says lifting up the red shirt for Elyza to see. “Uh of course you did, right um.” Elyza stutters out before discretely tossing the shirt behind her. Elyza’s internal monologue with herself is in chaos, how is this beautiful young princess able to turn her into a bumbling idiot when she’d insulted the principal of her high school right to his face almost every day without even breaking a sweat. 

Before Elyza had a chance to blubber something stupid, Nick walked out of the change rooms wearing a pair of simple jeans and a button up shirt that looked big on his skinny frame. It didn’t really matter, it was still an improvement. In his hand he also held a bag of what Elyza assumed were other clothes. “Well at least someone knows a sale when he sees one, you’re sister only got one shirt.” Yes well done Elyza, that was a good one wasn’t it. “I did?” Alicia questioned as her foot kicked a bag full of clothes Elyza hadn’t noticed her carry over. Elyza scrunched her eyes shut, “Godammit” She mouthed to herself. Alicia picked up the bag with one hand and walked out the store door with the machete in the other hand. Nick came up behind her letting out a small laugh before he said, “Nice” He ran up to catch his sister before the scary Australian did something to him.

Elyza moved back in front of them on the street, as she walked she pulled a knife out of her thigh holster and started twirling delicately around her fingers, getting faster and faster but never cutting herself, then she flipped it up with just enough force so that it would land on her nose without drawing blood. Elyza balanced it there for a few seconds. Before the two siblings even had a chance to blink Elyza had thrown the knife past Nick’s ear only for it to implant itself in the head of a walker that had its mouth about to chow down on nicks shoulder, somehow Elyza had heard it when they hadn’t. Nick almost released the contents of his bladder there and then. 

There we go Elyza, that’s how it done she thinks to herself as she moves past the probably traumatised boy to retrieve her knife. “Shall we go?” She deadpans towards Alicia who is looking right at her. A small grin formed on Alicia’s face, she looked the definition of smug as she leaned back on one leg with her arms folded.

Alicia simply walked past her, getting way to close and saying just loud enough for her to hear, “You’re aim’s a little off.” Goddammit Elyza thought, this girl just would not let her have one. It only motivated Elyza that much more to try harder. She was wrapped around this teenager’s finger and she didn’t even realise it.

They walked slowly along the beach in a single file line, Alicia had taken of her shoes to go barefoot through the sand. The moan she’d released when her feet had come out of her feet had made Elyza feel uncomfortably hot, she was wondering how cold the ocean was right about now.

The sun had just started to set when they reached Elyza’s beach house. The purples and reds that painted the sky had never seemed more beautiful to Elyza, she makes a plan to come up and draw once the other two were sorted. Elyza unlocked the back door and led the siblings. The main living room was admittedly a bit of a mess, Elyza had guns and ammo sitting all over the place seeing as she didn’t exactly have a very suitable storage space. “I thought my room was messy.” Alicia quips.

“So this house has three bedrooms, they’re all upstairs, and yes the master is mine.” Elyza says as she goes to the kitchen and pulls out some tins of food. She leaves them on the counter. Nick makes a run for the food, having not seen decent looking food in ages. Before Elyza takes a step Alicia asks, “Why’re you helping us?” Elyza had been dreading the question because truth be told, she had no fucking clue why she was helping them, she’d ignored other screams yet she’d been drawn to this one.

“What I can’t be a badass that woos the girl by saving her?” Nick with food falling out of his mouth and not a hint of humour in his voice deadpans, “Not anymore.” 

“Now tell me really Elyza.” Alicia says with a low voice that Elyza feels makes her a little more willing to share. “Truth be told.” She sighs, “I don’t really know, although I can’t say I’m not happy I did” as she gives an actual genuine smile to Alicia’s direction, Alicia’s own small smile gets that little bit wider. Nick decides not to push it

“If you two want there are showers in the bathrooms but there’s no hot water. I guess I’ll talk to you later than.” Elyza says as she makes her way up to the roof after making a quick stop in her bedroom for her sketchpad.

It was a fairly windy night and Elyza was enjoying the cooling wind as she sat on the roof sketching the city landscape with a new perspective that she hadn’t thought of before now. One of natural beauty, she’d always seen it as some man made masterpiece, yet now she was seeing it as a representation of mother nature’s ability to manifest itself through the constructions of her own creations.

Elyza hadn’t heard the door to the roof open and ha almost jumped when she saw the silky smooth legs of Alicia next to her face, needless to say her breathe quickened instantly.  
“Nice night don’t you think?” Alicia opened Elyza a beautiful smile that made her eyes twinkle. Elyza was enamoured, so much so that she almost forgot to respond to the question. “Yeah I guess it is. I like to come up here at night to enjoy the views.” Alicia sat down next to Elyza and joined her in staring out over the beautiful city landscape. “I can understand why.”

“Why did you actually save us, you must have had a reason, no one’s that kind in a world this ugly.” Alicia asks with interest obvious in her voice. “I was actually telling the truth, I saw your brother panicking outside the overturned car, and I just acted. I didn’t really think about it I just did it. Probably a stupid decision in this day and age. I was also telling the truth when I said I didn’t regret it.” She smiled at Alicia quickly before turning back to the city. 

“Well I just wanted to say that I appreciated it, I’m not really much of one for walking around all day.” Alicia jokes and Elyza lets out a laugh. It feels good to laugh, she hadn’t had a reason to in a while and she didn’t want the feeling to stop.

Elyza was about to ask Alicia a question when she felt the weight of the brunette’s head drop down onto her shoulder. “Come on princess, time for sleep.” Elyza says as she slowly and so very gently picks up the girl in her arms and carries her back inside the house to the bedroom that Nick hadn’t taken. 

This bedroom had been aunt Guinevere’s for the brief time she’d been here. And Elyza hadn’t been able to come in here since it had happened, yet now with Alicia held safe in her arms she couldn’t feel stronger and less afraid. She laid the girl down on the bed but when she tried to pull her hand away to pull the covers over the sleeping girl Elyza felt her strong grip on her arm. “It’s ok Alicia, I’m just down the hall.” Even though the girl was asleep her grip loosened as if the words made her feel safer.

As Elyza made her way to her room she saw Nick standing there with his hands in his pockets leaning against the stair banners. “Elyza, I never said thank you, for saving us today. I would have lost my sister today if it wasn’t for you. She likes you I can see it. And so I’m going to give you this warning for her benefit. Her boyfriend was the first person she knew to be turned, he was the first one she cared about to die and she wasn’t even there for him at the end.” Elyza felt her heart drop when she heard how Alicia had hurt over this man Elyza would never even meet. She looked up when Nick continued. “Elyza I ask this for her sake please, take care of her, never hurt her.”

Elyza was about to say she wouldn’t dream of it before Nick beat her to it. “I know you’d never do it on purpose, you’re to goo of a person. What I mean is if you two ever do become something, don’t ever make her have to say goodbye.” Nick turned to walk to his room “Goodnight Elyza, I’ll see you in the morning.

Elyza laid in the bed staring at the ceiling. She hadn’t been able to sleep for a while. She was replaying Nick’s words in her head. Elyza honestly hadn’t even been planning to do anything until Alicia made the first move just to make sure it was what she wanted, yet he was already giving her this type of advice. Elyza was appreciative because now she knew to be careful with Alicia when she approached the subject of past partners.

Her last thoughts that night were however that Nick had it wrong, some of it anyway. Alicia wasn’t this delicate little child that needed to be protected and kept out of harm’s way. Elyza instead saw her as a beautiful woman who needed to be taught how to be stronger. And Elyza had every desire to be the person to show Alicia how.


	5. Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group returns to the supply depot and Elyza gives Alicia driving lessons.

For the first time in what feels like years, Elyza doesn’t wake up screaming but rather wakes up to the sound of a beautiful voice, “Come on Blondie. You’re not gonna be sleeping around all day.” Alicia is standing over her in her short shorts and a simple white tank top. Her brunette hair is in a messy ponytail with a few strands left out, falling down to frame the most beautiful face Elyza’s ever seen.

“But mom I’m still tired.” Elyza groans out to the grin Alicia starts to sport. Elyza’s body pulls in close to herself as the thick blanket is ripped of her body. Having only worn her boy shorts to bed after her shower last night, her nearly uncovered lower body almost freezes once the warmth is taken away. “That’s just mean.” She says jumping up looking for her pants to warm her legs up.

Alicia is loving the view of the blonde’s ass jiggling around in the boy shorts and is disappointed when it is taken away by the blonde’s pants. Alicia is getting better and better at hiding her secretive lusty glances at the blonde as she manages to look up before the blonde turns around.

“I ain’t gonna get you breakfast if that’s what you think.” Elyza snaps, a little annoyed at being ripped away from her heavenly soft bed. “Actually, my brother and I want to find our family.” Alicia says with sincerity in her voice that Elyza’s ears focus in on. This girl clearly cares about her family. “All right princess, how about I help you and you help me. I was on a supply run when I found you two, I had to leave it all behind.” Alicia’s smirk is back as she responds “You came to us, we didn’t force you to leave your score behind.” Elyza can see the sparkle in the breathtaking green eyes, “you’d better be glad I did.”

“I’m curious.” Elyza says before she continues with her request. “You wanted to know last night why I saved you which is fair enough. Now what I want to know is, why do you trust me? If this world is so ‘ugly’ as you put it, why did you follow me, I could have been leading you fuck knows where.” Elyza’s voice is a little harsher then she intended but this had been bugging her so she wanted, no needed to know why this girl trusted her the way Elyza had done so instantly.

Alicia had nothing to say, it had never entered her head not to trust the blonde, she’d blindly followed without a second thought. “You’re right” Alicia starts finding it so easy to maintain eye contact with the oceans of the other girl’s eyes. “I shouldn’t have trusted you, you were way too good to be true.” Alicia surprises herself with the confession but she doesn’t even try to stop herself from continuing. “You saved us and then gave us weapons. We could have ran the other way. Nick was just following me but I was following you.” Alicia finishes with barely a whisper.

“Hey Alicia its ok.” Elyza reaches out her hand to rest it gently but firm on the other girl’s shoulder, she could feel the creamy soft skin, “It doesn’t matter. I saved you and I will continue to do so if you trust me to.” Elyza couldn’t understand why she is so ready to jump into the fire for this girl but she doesn’t question it because she knows the answer, she’d jump without a second thought and she’d do it as many times as it took to make sure this girl stayed safe.

“Right well, Babygirl.” Elyza starts trying to lighten the mood of the room that had somewhat become a bit tense in the last few minutes. “Let’s go get my sniper rifles.”

While the two siblings were eating in the kitchen Elyza was going through her knives trying to pick out a few that would suit the teens. Before Elyza could decide however Alicia picked her own. Standing in front of Elyza with the new red shirt she’d found yesterday, Alicia was leaning her hip to one side while both hands were resting over the baseball bat that she had sitting on her shoulders. Elyza's face was one that beamed pride at the brunette's choice.

Elyza stood up without a word and got very deep into Alicia’s space but the brunette didn’t pull away, instead waiting to see what the blonde was going to do. Elyza was so close that she could feel her cool minty breath on her cheeks. She heard the clip of a belt as it wrapped around her waist, then Elyza bent forward a bit and did the clip around Alicia’s bare thigh. “You know you’re leaving a lot of skin open for bites like this” Elyza said as she frustrated Alicia by finding a way to finish clipping the strap of the knife belt around her thigh without actually touching her skin.

As Elyza stood back up her face was right in front of the brunettes. Elyza’s eyes were almost nearly closed but Alicia knew right where Elyza was looking. “You’re not complaining are you?” Alicia asks and Elyza’s eye meet hers again. “Not at all.” Elyza said pronouncing every word with purpose.

Elyza walked around to the back of her house where she kept the bike and military truck. Oh how she wanted to take the bike and have Alicia sit on it behind her but she knew she’d need the space of the truck bed once the group reached the supply depot. Elyza pulled the keys out of her pockets and was about to get into the driver’s seat when Nick called out, “Do you want me to…” Elyza levelled her glare at him and simply said, “You can sit in the back.” And Elyza pulled herself into the seat. Alicia opened the door and sat next to her and Elyza felt the truck dip a little when Nick got on the back.

“So Babygirl, the whole having a boat thing, how’s that going to work out?” Elyza asked trying to make small talk, because she was honestly really interested in just hearing the other girl’s voice. “I don’t know really, it’s not exactly like we can plan very far ahead anymore. I think the boat would suit us, cause the, what did you call them, walkers?” Elyza nodded before turning her eyes back to the road. “Anyway, the walkers can’t swim so the boat seems like a good idea. That’s why we were out on a supply run. So the boat would be fully stocked for as long as possible.”

Alicia’s head went down a little as she stared at her feet. “Elyza reached out her hand and placed it on top of Alicia’s reassuringly. “Hey don’t worry cupcake, I’ll get you back to them.” Alicia looked up at Elyza and smiled, not needing to thank her as she knew that Elyza didn’t need her to.

They pulled into the supply depot that Elyza had been investigating yesterday, there were a few walkers around and before Elyza could say to be careful and stay close to her Alicia was out with her baseball bat running for the first one. The bat swung hard, Elyza could hear the crunch and snap of bones from inside the truck. Elyza jumps out of the truck and calls back to Nick, “Oi Nicky, you sittin this one out to?” Elyza taunts him. Nick rushes to get out of the truck and in the process falls out of the truck and stumbles onto the ground. He quickly picks himself up and brushes some dust off, but Elyza is staring right at him, “Nice.”

There are only a few walkers to deal with but Elyza sees one crawling straight for Alicia’s legs, Alicia hasn’t. “No!” Elyza shouts as she jumps on a crate and then another to bring her two machetes down into the walkers head that is only a few inches away from Alicia’s uncovered leg. “That’s my leg to bite.” Elyza shouts at the crushed skull. Alicia has turned to look at her with a look that says she's dying to start teasing at the embarrassment that is now written all over Elyza’s body. Rather than laughing Alicia decides instead to just simply say, “Ooh Kinky.” She then runs off to take on another walker near the door to the store building.

“Godammit.” Elyza curses as she begins smacking herself lightly on the forehead with the flat of her blade, come on Elyza get a grip she shouts internally.   
The fighting soon winds down and Elyza has quickly managed to get over her embarrassment at the previous situation. The two girls have managed to take out all their walkers and now they are standing together to watch as Nick struggles to find an opening that will allow him to take on the one Elyza had seen him move for when he’d first fallen out of the truck. “Seriously, he hasn’t even gotten one yet.” Elyza asks out loud, earning a chuckle out of Alicia. “Honestly Nick, I’m starting to think I should be glad you didn’t pick up that machete yesterday.” Elyza calls out to him while reaching her hand out towards Alicia’s knife belt.

“If you’ll allow me princess.” Elyza Asks with a bow gesturing to a knife in the belt. Alicia’s back instantly straightens and she speaks with a fake posh accent, “Please do gallant night, I would be so displeased if my brother were to die.” Alicia says while doing the cutest curtsy Elyza had ever seen. “It would be my pleasure my princess.” Elyza says in the deepest macho voice she can manage. As quick as lightening Elyza has pulled out one of the lustrous blades and expertly thrown it right into the back of the head of the walker that was inches away from biting Nick.

Nick jumps back in surprise as the body of the walker nearly falls on top of him, blood from the forehead wound splattering onto his face. “A splendid throw if I do say so myself.” Elyza said continuing to use her macho voice, Alicia also sticking to character, “Yes I must agree good sir.” Nick is staring daggers at the two women, “Could you stop with the knives Elyza?” Elyza is managing not to burst out laughing as is Alicia, “Why good sir you seemed to be in a spot of bother, I took it as my noble duty to protect my princess’s subjects.”

Nick looks like her wants to shout at her but manages to restrain himself and simply mutters, “I’m older.” Before following the two women whom were almost in tears at his undeserved expense. “Oh lighten up Nick. She just saved your life. Again.” Alicia says as she turns her head to him.

All the crates that Elyza had gone through were still stacked on top of each other where she’d left them.

“Alright I’m gonna look for the keys, you two wanna start taking the crates outside, leave them by the truck, please and thank you.” Alicia starts doing what Elyza says, but Nick just stands there looking confused, “Why do you get to look for keys while we have to carry the heavy shit.” Elyza stares while almost sneering, “Because Nicholas, we are a team and I was elected the leader of this team.” “By who?” Elyza turns her back on him and begins to walk towards a small office in the side of the building, “The majority.” Alicia walks up behind her brother and nudges him towards the box, “You helping or are you going to find another horde for her to take out her aggressions on?” her smile says innocence but her eyes are laughing at the joke being shared by the two women.

It took about an hour but they managed to fill one of the large military transport trucks with most of the supplies and the rest fit nicely on the bed of the smaller truck they’d arrived in. “Ok Nicky boy, you did your job well, so here’s your bonus.” Elyza says as she tosses the keys to the military truck to him. “Really you’re just going to give me the keys?” he looks confused at the sudden promotion it seems he’s received. “Yeah why not?” Nick turns to his sister, “You have anything to say?” Alicia made a face that said she had no idea what he was talking about. “Elyza’s going to give me some lessons on driving so yeah, big bro you get the truck. Just try not to crash it, ok?” she pats him on the shoulder as she walks past him towards the smaller truck.

Nick motioned for Elyza to stop because grabbing her was probably not the best way to get her attention. “You’re giving her driving lesson?” he shouts as a whisper, Elyza simply responds, “Yeah, she should learn how to drive it’ll come in handy.” Nick runs a hand through the grease that he calls hair before asking “Do you really think this is the best time Elyza, really?” Elyza moves closer to him and with the slightest anger in her voice, “I see no reason to stop her from learning now, there couldn’t be a better time than the apocalypse. All the roads will be empty.” Nick knew that Elyza was right but he was still concerned for Alicia’s safety, it was his job as big brother, “Just promise me you’ll keep her safe on the roads, I took her out once and she nearly drove of a bridge into a waterway.

“Nick, I will do everything in my power to stop anything bad from happening to her. I promise, always.” She said with nothing but sincerity, Nick nods and moves towards the truck he’ll be driving. “But Nick, you need to stop seeing her as a small child that needs to be shielded from everything, let her live or she’ll see you as her captor not her brother, and she’ll learn to hate you.” Nick with more love for his sister then Elyza had expected him to ever show, “Better she hate me and survive.” He says before turning his back and opening the truck door. “Better she love you and live. Life should be more than just surviving Nick. She deserves so much better than that.” “Yes, she does.” Nick smiles back at her, they seemed to have reached their understanding.

Elyza gets in the truck on the passenger side and passes the keys to Alicia, “What was that about?" She asks, curious why Elyza had taken so long to talk to Nick. “We were just, settling differences." at the expecting look on Alicia's face Elyza continued. "He was concerned that I wasn’t going to be able to teach you properly.” Alicia with her shining white teeth and a smile that Elyza thought was heart stopping, she chuckled before saying, “Well that’s Nick, when he could he was always protective of me,” Alicia paused for a second trying to come up with the words for her thoughts, “He saved me," she started, turning to face Elyza and focus on her "when this first started, I mean. Our neighbour turned and went into this family’s house and I heard screaming. He did everything he could to stop me from going over. I would have been eaten if he hadn’t started seizing.” Alicia snorted up some tears and blinked a few times, “I never thanked him for it.”

“You ok Alicia?” Elyza reached out her hand to wipe away a tear and she felt Alicia lean into her hand the tiniest bit before replying, “Yeah I’m good. Let’s get this going ok.” Alicia said through a slightly cracked voice as she started the keys in the ignition. Elyza knew that that had been difficult for the girl to talk about so she easily grasped the girl’s free hand and guided it over to the hand break. “This one first, princess.”

They’d been driving through the streets, Elyza was watching Alicia’s every move, making sure the brunette was doing the right thing. Elyza had only needed to correct her once, “Two hands for beginners, Twinkle toes.” But since then Alicia had been smashing all her expectations. Elyza caught Alicia’s eyes slowly caressing Elyza abs under her shirt. “Come on Lich, I know I look amazing but keep your eyes on the road, you can look closer later if you want.” Elyza finally got one on the girl because Alicia was the deepest shade of red Elyza had ever seen on a person. Yes well done Elyza, that's how you do it, Elyza was congratulating herself in her head. Nick was following behind them, maintaining a distance in case Alicia did something it seemed.

“One question pretty girl.” Getting redder still, “If you’re brother can drive as well as he can, why did he crash yesterday?” Alicia while keeping her eyes on the road like Elyza had told her. “He’d swerved to avoid a walker.” She said simply, “That makes sense, but honestly next time just go straight through ‘em.” Elyza who’d been staring at Alicia’s profile snapped her head around when she heard the thud when Alicia hit something solid. “You mean like that?” Alicia grinned. Elyza just could not get over how much she enjoyed it when this girl smiled.

Elyza put her hand out the window when she saw that the clouds were starting to get thicker. She could feel the moisture in the air, she remembered the same feelings in Australia when she was younger, a storm was coming and it was gonna be a big one. “You might want to go a bit faster buttercup, I don’t want you driving in the rain just yet.” Elyza was pushed back in her seat when Alicia almost flattened her foot on the accelerator, “Jesus, I didn’t quite mean that.” Elyza shouted over the wind from the window as she held on to the armrest for dear life, they were close to home but Elyza wanted to make it there, “Hey baby, ease off a little bit, it won’t help anyone if we don’t actually get there.”

They managed to make it to the house just before the storm hit. They’d had to leave the transport on the street, the cargo was covered so it would stay dry, but Elyza and   
Alicia needed to clear out a few walkers that had found themselves inside the garage for the smaller truck. Elyza was proud of how skilled Alicia was with a baseball bat, “Hey honey bunch, were you in a baseball team or something?” Elyza asks as she drops her blade down in to walkers face. “Softball, regional champions three years running, they lost when I dropped out.” Alicia can’t help but gloat at the small fact. “Well someone’s got an ego miss perfect.” Alicia with her bat implanting itself in a walkers face replies, “Ain’t nothing wrong with an ego if you can back it up.” “Didn’t say there was honey.”

The three of them ran through the front door just as the first drops began to fall to the ground behind them. “Well I’d say day well done.” Elyza says walking forward into the big lounge room “Now how bout a nice fire to warm us up.” Elyza says as she gets a few logs into the main fireplace underneath the mounted TV. “A fire in a room absolutely filled to the brim with guns and ammo.” Nick questioned. “Yeah come on it’ll be fine, just move the guns away.” Elyza says.

They end up sitting there around the warm fire together for a few hours before Elyza offers to get some cans of food for dinner. When she comes back she brings some weird contraption with her that fits over the fireplace. “My adoptive family used to do this when I was younger, this holds the cans above the fire to heat them up.” Alicia gets up to help Elyza hook it to the wall just above the fire.

Elyza is starting to feel more comfortable with these two new additions, “Thank you, for helping me out today guys I appreciate it, tomorrow if you two are up to it tomorrow we’ll go out to look for the rest of your group.” Alicia moves to sit next to the blonde on the large sofa as they spend the next hour slowly shuffling closer and closer to each other, Nick remaining oblivious to them the whole time.

They fell asleep together, with Elyza leaning back against the arm of the couch and Alicia resting her head in the crease between Elyza’s shoulder and neck. Elyza doesn’t move throughout the entire night except to wrap her arms around Alicia’s body to pull her closer.

Nick awoke later that night to the dying embers crackling in the fire place. He turned his head to see of the others were there. What he wasn’t expecting was to see was his sister cuddling with the Australian woman, although he knew his sister. If she wanted something then she would get it eventually. Honestly he didn’t understand why Alicia hadn’t done something. He’d worked out that Elyza was waiting for Alicia. That had made him respect the blonde woman so much more. He knew Elyza had feelings for his sister, and Elyza may be a massive flirt but she would never make a move unless she was certain that Alicia was a hundred percent comfortable and wanted it. He could do nothing but love Elyza for her restraint.

Nick got up and walked over to the two sleeping girls picking up a large blanket on the way. He slowly draped the clack blanket over them as he knelt down to place a small but loving kiss on his sister’s head before brushing a few strays out of her face. He slowly turned around to head upstairs to the large comfortable bed that awaited him, he’d had an interesting day and wanted to get up early to start the search for his family.


	6. Moving On

Alicia woke from a calm and soothing sleep to feel something warm leaning into her back. It was soft and Alicia, couldn’t help but curl further into whatever this amazing pillow was. She could also feel something reaching over her waist keeping her close, she reached out with her hand to feel what it was. The knuckles on the hand were pronounced with the scars around them, the raised skin was smooth and soft. The fingers were a little wider than average but they were also longer. Alicia’s pat down of the arm moved up the smooth forearm. She could feel a long car running up the inside if the arm it was longer and wider than the ones around the knuckles had been. Alicia recognised it. Her friend had had a similar scar. Alicia had noticed when the dress her friend had worn didn’t cover it. That day at the funeral had been one of the hardest days Alicia had needed to live through. 

“I got that one in the car crash that killed my parents.” A soft voice came from behind Alicia. I was lucky to survive with it. Alicia knew the girl was lying to her but she could easily understand. With tears in her eyes Alicia responded just as quietly so that only the amazing blonde spooning her from behind could hear. “You didn’t get it in the crash.” The blonde behind her stiffened, not having expected to have been caught in a lie. “You did it because of the crash.” 

The arm moved from her waist as Alicia felt the body move away from her but before Elyza could completely get off the couch Alicia had turned around to grab her hand as she’s about to sit up. “It’s still early. We can talk about it if you want.” When Elyza doesn’t lie back down next to her Alicia decided to sit up next to her. “I know it feels empty” she starts. Even though her dad had died, she couldn’t imagine losing two sets of parents and an aunt. She had no idea how Elyza had managed to keep herself together. Alicia grabbed the blanket that she’d found resting on their bodies, she than dragged it over Elyza’s bare shoulders. Alicia could see that she was shivering but it wasn’t from the cold.

“Hey.” Alicia said with the smallest and gentlest voice as she lightly lifted Elyza’s chin up to look Elyza in her deep blues. “We don’t have to talk.” Elyza’s head fell when Alicia removed her hand. Elyza allowed her body to be dragged back down into the warm embrace of the young brunette. After a few minutes of Alicia stroking Elyza’s back and hair the blonde was soon back to an easy rest. Elyza’s strong arms wrapped around Alicia’s body as if she was hanging on for her life. Alicia had no wish for her to let go and she soon fell back to sleep with most of Elyza’s weight resting perfectly on top of hers.  
\--  
“Hey lovebirds wake up.” Elyza heard Nick call out from the kitchen where it seemed that he was making as much noise as possible, if he wasn’t the brother of the best pillow Elyza had ever had, she would have seriously considered feeding him to a horde. Speaking of Elyza’s pillow she looked up to meet the gaze of the beautiful girl she’d shared the couch with. Alicia’s eye’s held a gaze of nothing but remorse and sympathy. Alicia had seen, she’d understood that Elyza wasn’t all there and still she had wanted to stay with her last night. Elyza had truly underestimated this girl. 

Alicia starts “I” but stops and reconsiders how she wants to say what she does next. “Good morning, sleepy head.” Clearly deciding that it would be better if she didn’t bring up what happened in front of Nick, it was none of his business.

Elyza lifted her head up from Alicia’s chest but something felt missing once she did. Lowering her head back down, she received a quizzical look from the brunette with the curly bed hair. It took Elyza a few moments to realize what it was that she had been missing when she’d raised her head. The smooth rhythm of Alicia’s heartbeat had been thumping away in Elyza’s head all night, the pattern had been soothing and calming for her.

Elyza stayed there for a few seconds trying to contemplate how in only two days she’d managed to find a girl whose heartbeat helped her sleep. “Hey, not that I’m uncomfortable or anything but I kind of need to pee blondie.” Elyza had her head up in an instant looking into excited and humoured eyes. “Uh yeah, you should go do that. I’ll uh be here, doing stuff.” Elyza says moving towards the gun pile in front of the kitchen, nearly tripping over a stool trying to maintain eye contact with Alicia.

“Smooth.” Nick snarks once Alicia is in the bathroom and out of earshot of the two of them. 

“Watch it Nicky.” Elyza warns as she walks over to the kitchen counter where he slides a mini box of cereal in her direction. As she begins shovelling the tiny amount of food into her mouth Nick decides to ask about today’s plan. “So what depot we raiding today?” Elyza puts the box up to her mouth and knocks the back of it to make sure she got any crumbs before she chucks it into the bin behind Nick without looking. “Well” Nick asks still waiting for an answer.

Elyza is holding her finger up in front of, then Elyza lets out one of the meanest burbs Nick had ever actually heard in his life. “Oh Jesus Fuck, Elyza. That’s disgusting.” “What, you do it.” Nick puts his hands up to his side in a gesture of defeat. 

“Ok plan for today is we look for your group.” Nick’s head whipped up at the mention. “Wait seriously?” He asks. “Yeah I promised Alicia I would. You got any idea where they might be?” Elyza asks as she moves for a bottle of water that’s sitting on the counter.

“Yeah we all left Strand’s house together on the run, we were meant to meet up there once we were done in two days if anything happened.” Nick explained, Alicia walked out of the bathroom shaking her hands dry as she walked over to the two of them. “Yeah that was two days ago. The others should be getting back there now. We need to get back before soon or they’re going to come out again to look for us.” Elyza gets off of the stool and offers it to Alicia, whom just smiles back and takes it. “Yeah that would be a major clusterfuck. Ok do you know where the house is?” 

Alicia grabs the box of cereal Elyza passes to her and starts to slowly eat it piece by piece. She would be a clean eater thinks Elyza as she gets a little distracted by Alicia’s eating. “Uh right.” Alicia notices Elyza’s distraction, “And get Alicia a portable iPhone charger.” “Yeah and that.” Elyza says instantly. Nick also noticing Elyza’s predicament. “And give me a gun.” Elyza knows that she’s being distracted but she would be happy to get Alicia a new IPhone battery if it made her happy. “And shove my gun up Nick’s ass.”

Alicia snorts out the piece of cereal in her mouth at the blonde’s response to Nick. “That’s real nice of you Elyza, you going to lube me up first.” “No I keep the lube for the good girls.” Elyza says winking to Alicia. Nick sighs and moves to the weapons area and picks up the baseball bat. “Not happening big bro, Little Bitch is my baby.” Nick holding the blood soaked baseball bat just stares at her blankly. He doesn’t bother questioning and just tosses the blade to his sister. 

“You two want to start piling everything you can find into the big transporter? Food, guns, ammo, anything useful.” Nick looks back at Elyza with a questioning look, “The trucks full with all the crates already, and why are we filling it with everything else.” “I thought we agreed yesterday that I was leader of this team.” Elyza pouts like a child which Alicia can’t help but think is adorable. “Anyway use your head and empty the crates and bring them in. Except for the ones labelled ‘Firefly, don’t empty it just bring it inside, got that? Secondly I’m loading the trucks cause I’m coming with you and I ain’t leaving my shit behind. Now anymore questions?”

Alicia gets up and begins to move to the front door, filling up the old sports bag on the ground with as much stuff as will fit inside. Nick reluctantly begins to do the same, getting more and more annoyed at the pompous smirk that Elyza is sporting. Elyza grabs up to her bedroom and grabs the two cases that are sitting on the bottom of the closet floor and drags them back downstairs and runs up to Alicia, “Hey Babygirl, these are” Elyza hesitates because these are two of the last things she’ll have of her past life after today. “It’s ok Elyza, I’ll make sure they’re safe.” Elyza’s smile at Alicia’s understanding is all the thanks the brunette needs.

Nick catches up to his sister and offers to take one of the heavy cases so that Alicia can move faster. “It’s ok Nick, Elyza wants these done specially, keep working on getting those Firefly crates inside the house.” Nick is the tiniest bit agitated at his sister blindly following the blondes commands. “Why are you just doing everything she says without question?” Alicia gently lays the cases on the floor to glare at Nick. “After everything she’s done for us.” She begins in a hushed but near violent tone, “You’re going to waste everyone’s time by being annoyed that you’re not the one giving orders. Get over yourself Nick, Elyza clearly knows what she’s doing. You should trust her more.”

Nick knows that he’s deserved this, he’s been combatting Elyza since the start, and he knows despite common sense that he like his sister would trust the charismatic blonde with his life in a heartbeat. “Alicia, I trusted her with you.” Nick says in a desperate attempt to try and convince his sister that he did trust the blonde. “You know me I just like reason for action. I just can’t do blind faith.” He pleads with his sister to understand where he’s coming from. Alicia’s features lighten as she realises Nick’s motives. 

“I know you can’t do blind faith Nick. So have faith in me that I know Elyza is doing everything with only out best interest at heart, please Nick. I need you to work with me on this, I need my big brother.” Alicia pleads with her brother to see how he fits into the bigger picture, to see beyond the here and now of the moment. Elyza had a plan and Alicia was more than content to let her play it out. “You know I trust your judgement Lysh.” 

Alicia reaches up to hug him and he bends down a little to return it. “We’ll see them soon Nick.” Elyza watched from the doorway, she was proud of Nick, she knows that could have gone a whole other way, one that would have broken them apart rather then pulled them together.

After a half hour of solid work from the three of them, they’d managed to load everything they had in the back of the truck with some sense of order. All the ammo boxes were stacked up against the cabin followed by the crates of food and Elyza’s cases, then lying on the floor with ropes tied around them were all the guns that Elyza had gathered, all of them were empty and the magazines were sitting in a large box of to the side. There was a large plastic crate filled with all the knives sitting next to it.

Nick was driving again at the offer of ‘Team leader’ as Nick had dubbed her. Elyza grabs her jacket and aviators decides to run back through the house instead. The back door is quickly unlocked as Elyza takes her time to walk to her baby, or rather her mother’s baby.

Nick is about to get into the truck next to Alicia holding her Little Bitch as she so affectionately named it. When he hears the loud roar of an engine, not knowing what it is he lifts Alicia’s bat in preparedness against whatever is coming. Alicia just laughed at his jumpiness and points to the path next to the house that leads to the back. Coming along the path is Elyza, slowly cruising along on the black Harley her mother had spent so much time and energy, and love restoring. Elyza when she was closer to the two, revved the engine a few times, much to Nick’s displeasure. Alicia was out and running towards the beautiful bike and the even more appealing blonde. 

“Beautiful bike blondie.” Alicia blurts out before she could come up with something smart. “What this old thing, nah there’s something much more beautiful I’d rather be riding.” Alicia would have gone red if she hadn’t been spending so much time with the blonde lately. “It’s a shame you don’t have a license for it yet.” Elyza catching on to Alicia’s train of thought, quickly followed up with a counter of, “When can I go for a driver’s test sweet checks?” now it was Alicia’s chance to go red.

“Come on sweetums, hop on.” Once Alicia was firmly behind her Elyza unhooked the helmet decorated with guns intertwined with roses and passed it back to the brunette with stray hairs flying all over her face in the light wind that had started to pick up around them. “Now just sit here Hun, I’ll be back in a few minutes.

Elyza walked back into the large beach house. She slowly began walking up the stairs bringing with her one of the six medium sized crates with her. The master bedroom in which she’d been sleeping for the past 6 months felt alien to her, after one night in Alicia’s arms she couldn’t ever sleep anywhere that wasn’t with her and consider it comfortable. Elyza laid down the crate and entered the code into the keypad on the lid of the case. The next case she took into the room that Aunt Guinevere had slept in for only one night after the world had gone balls up. Elyza was ready to move on from her past, she was ready to forgive herself for what happened, she was ready to say goodbye. “Through light and darkness, cloud and fire, may your spirits walk through the fire and emerge cleansed.”

Elyza repeated the same process at strategic places all over the house. Elyza knew that it probably wouldn’t help much, yet she always had been one for ‘go big or go home’ so she opened up the gas on the stovetops to full. At the last slightly larger crate Elyza grabbed the controller from inside the box and activated it like all the others. Elyza stood in the middle of the house and remembered all the wonderful memories she’d had in this house since she’d been adopted by Martha and Richard.

Elyza remembered them bringing her here the summer after the crash, guessing that she loved the water after learning she’d lived on the Gold Coast. Elyza hadn’t wanted to have fun the first time, the memory of her parents passing was still to fresh in her mind. Despite her goal to not have fun, her adoptive parents had managed to get a few smiles out of her. That had become a tradition for her they’d be here every year on the day of her parents death so that Elyza would have at least been somewhere she could be sad with no one seeing her.

Elyza then remembered the time that she had sprained her ankle running up the stairs in a hurry to get the sand out of any of the creases in her body in a nice warm shower. Her parents had driven her to the hospital without a second thought and had been with her every step of the way to make sure she hadn’t been scared or alone. They hadn’t been able to keep her fear away for the past month though, Elyza had been alone and she wanted them back so much. A solitary tear began to fall down Elyza’s face.

Elyza remembered the best memory she’d ever had in this house, how fitting it would be one of the last. She remembered hearing Alicia’s heartbeat, she remembered the brunette girl’s smooth and silky skin under her gentle touch. Elyza remembered the sweet smell that coated the girl’s body and hair. Elyza remembered the happiness in Alicia’s eyes when she’d woken up to see those beautiful green orbs looking down at her. Elyza remembered being happy. “Goodbye.” Elyza whispered to no one around her but everyone important to her that she’d ever lost.

Alicia had been just about to go into the house after Elyza but before she could get of the stationary motorcycle she saw the ripped body of the blonde girl coming out of the house. She leaned back letting the worry out that something had happened to her blonde, she didn’t know if friend was the right word anymore but for now it was the only one she was really sure about. “You alright?” Alicia asked when she saw the trail of the tear on Elyza’s face.

“You don’t have to do this you know?” Alicia offers as Elyza gets on the motor cycle in front of her. Alicia’s bare thigh is pat by Elyza’s warm hands in a gentle motion, “Yes I do Alicia.” Elyza has a small but genuine smile on her face and Alicia knows that Elyza knows what is best and so decides to put on her helmet with the visor up and reach around to tightly grip Elyza’s lower body. However not before trying to cheer the blonde up by tickling the sides of her ribcage. Elyza’s giggles and frantic motions in response bring joy to Alicia and she quickly stops before Elyza knocks over the bike with her movements. “You ready to go?” Elyza shouts at Nick, “And waiting!” is his answer as he pushes the accelerator a few times.

Elyza feels Alicia’s grip tighten around her stomach as she begins to pick up a little speed out of the drive way and turning left towards the main city, per the instructions of her brunette navigator. Nick in the truck is following close behind them.

Once Elyza has reached the strip mall at the end of her house’s street she decides they are far enough away. She pulls her bike around to face the way they’d come. Nick turns off the truck and joins his sister in standing behind Elyza, rather than asks Nick decides to just let Elyza do her thing.

Elyza walks forward about 20 feet in front of the other two who stay standing next to the vehicles. The control device had been weighing heavy in her pocket for the entirety of the short drive away from the house. Elyza could still see it standing among the other beach houses on the street. The remote control in her hand was just getting heavier and heavier. She didn’t want to lift it anymore, Elyza just wanted to let it go, to watch it wall to the concrete and smash into pieces. Elyza was slowly lowering her hand when long caring fingers began to wrap themselves around hers that held the controller. “It’s ok Elyza, let me help you.”

Elyza’s vibrant blue eyes met Alicia’s grass green. The green eyes were slowly getting closer to Elyza’s and before she realised, Elyza had her eyes closed as her lips became joined with the brunettes in a searing, burning moment of passion that she doesn’t want to ever end. Elyza remains unaware throughout the wistful kiss, she doesn’t notice the brunette’s thumb slowly close around hers on the button. Only when Alicia pulls away to look at her with love written in her eyes does Elyza slowly begin to resurface into reality.

“Are you ready?” Alicia asks grabbing hold of Elyza’s other hand and bringing it up to grip the remote detonator. “Thankyou.” Is all Elyza says as the brunette leans in again and seals herself against Elyza, while at the same time firmly pressing down on the detonate button.

The delay only lasts a few seconds but when the explosion hits the force of it makes the two girls stumble and nearly lose their footing but they manage to maintain their kiss. Nick however does stumble as he doesn’t really have anyone kissing him and holding him steady. He watches his sister lovingly kiss the blonde woman as a cloud of fire rises up behind them, it is massive. It billows out in all directions. The heat is so strong that he can even feel it all the way from here.

Elyza and Alicia feel the heat to. They feel it all over their skin, in their hearts, their stomachs. They feel the heat to their very bones as they stand in front of the inferno but paying  
attention to nothing but each other. 

It takes a good few minutes for the flame to die down somewhat, a massive column of smoke has mostly replaced the blazing fire that had previously occupied the sky. The fire was still alive and burning away at the smouldering remains of Elyza’s beach house and parts of the houses around it from what Nick could see.

Elyza and Alicia were lost in each other, neither offering a care for anything else in the world. Slowly and reluctantly the two girls pull their lips apart. Having moved their arms around each other in favour of the detonator which was now smashed and abandoned on the ground. They held each other close, their foreheads pressed together as each tried to get closer to the other, to hear the others breathing, to memorise the other’s scent to feel the other’s body beneath their fingertips.

It was the sound of Nick’s shouting that eventually drew the girl’s attention away from each other, oh how Elyza wished she could sew his mouth shut sometimes. “That explosion was a hundred feet high. Every walker in LA would’ve seen it.” 

Elyza rolled her eyes at having to explain herself to him, “I know Nicky,” She starts with a mocking tone, her arm still wrapped firmly around Alicia’s waist. “That was the whole point.” Alicia knew that wasn’t the only reason Elyza had destroyed the home but it was the only one Nick needed to hear. She had her arms tightly gripping Elyza’s strong back through the girl’s leather jacket.

They pulled apart but kept close to each other’s side and held hands with grips that were strong but not harmful. “Were you waiting for the explosion just to kiss me?” Alicia quietly question Elyza as they make their way back to the bike. “You kissed me babe.” Elyza replies with a small grin forming on her face, Alicia would’ve once considered that grin annoying but now she enjoyed seeing it. “So when should I book in that driver’s test?” Elyza jokes at Alicia’s expense. “You’re not one to move slow are you?” Alicia asks when her tight grip around Elyza’s body is restored. “I’ll move as fast as you want or need me to Alicia.” Elyza says knowing the girl heard the hidden promise in her response.  
They were driving into the city again and this time Elyza couldn’t possibly be happier about the circumstances.


	7. Mrs Clark, I Presume

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elyza and the Clark siblings find the rest of the group. Trust issues arise.

The firm hands around Elyza’s waist were a constant reminder that Elyza wasn’t living in a dream. That a beautiful girl was holding onto her and that beautiful girl had just kissed her while helping her say goodbye to her past. They meant to Elyza, the possibility of a future that wasn’t just walkers and eventually a painful death at the hands of their teeth. To Elyza it represented a future of happiness and companionship. Of Love.

Elyza saw a store coming up on her left that she thought would hold what she sought. She raised her hand wide above her head and began to slow down so Nick would know she was stopping. Elyza slowed down her bike and let her right leg ride out over the pavement to rest the weight of the bike on once she stopped. The kickstand was kicked out using her left foot and she leaned the weight of the bike on the stand. 

As she pulled her helmet off she shook her hair behind her to free it of any strands of what may have been sitting in the helmet. Elyza ran her hand back through it to brush any of her face. “We actually doing something here blondie or did you just want to shake your loose hairs all over me?” Alicia whispers into Elyza’s ear, also having taken her helmet off.   
“You wait here princess, momma will be back out in a few minutes.” “Oh you are not my mommy, babe.” Elyza had gotten of the bike and was smirking at Alicia. “Not even if I ask nicely?” “Go.” Alicia simply says, Elyza leans forward to connect her lips with the beautiful soft smooth lips of Alicia’s. They stay like that for a few moments before Alicia softly pushes her off and towards the big department store they’d arrived at. “Go babe. I’ll be here when you come out.” Alicia was sitting there in bliss with the two helmets sitting in her lap.

“That was quick.” Nick remarks as he walks up to Alicia with his hands in his pockets. Alicia turns her head to Nick with an expression that is a mix of questioning and anger at Nick’s judgemental words. “Woah” Nick says raising his hands, having seen the look from his sister before. “I said it happened quick not that I disapproved.” Nick quickly continued, to the removal of Alicia’s anger from her expression. Now all there was on her face was curiosity. “If anything I don’t think you could have chosen better Alicia. Elyza’s one of the most genuine people I’ve met in my life. She saved us. She saved you. Why would I be against you two?” Before Nick can continue justifying himself Alicia has her arms wrapped around her brother’s neck.

Elyza words were running through his head, ‘Life should be more than just surviving Nick. She deserves so much better than that.’ Nick doesn’t think Alicia starting a relationship with Elyza was what Elyza had in mind when she’d said the words but he knows that it is what Alicia wants and if she’s happy with Elyza then he knew he had no right to voice any disapproval even if he had any. He didn’t he couldn’t think of a better person to protect and care for his sister.

Alicia pulled her arms from around Nick’s neck and quietly said to him. “What did she say to you? When I started dating Matt,” Alicia shudders at the mention of her former boyfriend, “You were all over his case like he was hiding something terrible from us.” Nick smiled at her and smiled thinking about how Elyza was right about how he’d been treating Alicia like a child. Even though it had only been a day since he’d stopped questioning all her decisions, she was already much better around him and he around her. “Something I needed to hear Alicia.” Nick said.

Elyza had been in the store for five minutes and she still hadn’t found what she was looking for. No power for the lights probably wasn’t helping her search, nor was the fact that almost every few seconds her thoughts turned back to the brunette waiting for her outside. “Come on Elyza the sooner you find it the sooner you can go back out.” Elyza says to herself in a very sensible tone. “But I want to go kiss her now.” Elyza responded back to herself in the whiniest tone she could manage. Then she just sighed at the realisation she was having a conversation with herself out loud.

With the trolley handle resting firmly in her hand Elyza stalks up the lanes of the store with her torch in her other hand shining on the shelves. “Gotcha.” She almost shouts when she comes across the batteries section of the store. Elyza grabs every pack of batteries that she can find, knowing that they could all come in handy at some point. Now just one other thing to find and she’s done. 

Elyza starts to hum out a tune to her head that she’s been trying to remember the name to for ages, she can remember some of the lyrics but not the name of the song. She starts to softly sing the words slowly to herself, “get out your gun, battle’s begun, are you a saint, or are you a sinner?” She continues to sing the lyrics to herself but like every other time once she gets to the chorus she just can’t remember. Elyza guesses that now considering the internet was gone she’d never find out.

Elyza found what she was looking for near the back of the store, it was a portable iPhone charge that used batteries to charge the phone. Alicia had mentioned that she wanted to be able to use her phone again, so Elyza would do what she could to make that happen. Elyza grabbed several just to make sure Alicia would have spares.

Elyza came out the end of the lane and turned to face the open entrance to the store. Go on, do it. You know you’ve always wanted to. Her head told her. What she said, Elyza’s heart quickly adds to the conversation. Elyza with both hands on the trolley began to run as fast as she could. After a few metres she was soon gaining speed. When Elyza was about 20 feet from the door and going as fast as she was going to she jumped up to land herself in the cart. 

Alicia and Nick both turned their heads as they heard the loud squealing of Elyza coming from the store. It was closely followed by Elyza herself. More accurately Elyza and the cart. Together they came speeding out through the shop door. They continued to fly out into the carpark that was in front of the store. Alicia and Nick were sprinting after the cart. They saw the cart hit a parking pylon with its front wheels and the contents of the cart were sent careening forward through the air. Elyza flew forward a few good feet before she came to a rest on the cement.

When Alicia finally reached the girl all she could hear was the girl’s loud and unabashed laughter. She was laughing openly and with no sign of stopping. Alicia knelt down to her and was about to start shouting at her about how ridiculous she was, Elyza reached up and cupped her hand behind Alicia’s neck before she had the chance to open her mouth. Elyza while still laughing began to gently rub the point where Elyza’s hair and her skin met. “Fuck I hate you.” Alicia sighed out at the still giggling form of Elyza. “Course you do babe.” At this Elyza gently pulled Alicia’s head down towards her, joining their lips together.

After a few minutes Nick had finished refilling the shopping cart. He turned to look and the two girls were still going at it. Nick loudly cleared his throat, only to be responded with Alicia’s index finger coming up, silently telling him to wait.

Alicia slowly pulled up from Elyza’s luscious and tasty lips, then she leans her head down to whisper into the blonde’s ear. “Still hate you” Elyza laughs again and the sound of that happiness from the woman that Alicia now cares about brings a small smile to her face. “You really are a child. You know that right?” Nick flatly asks her. “Child that saved your sorry ass.” Elyza says as she gets up and walks past him to her bike with Alicia walking by her side.

“What were you even getting in there?” Alicia asked as they were walking towards their vehicles. Elyza turns around so she’d walking backwards now and picks out a package on the top of the trolley that Nick is noisily pushing behind them. “Elyza.” Alicia whispers before she launches her arms around Elyza’s waist and pushing her head into the crease between Elyza’s neck and shoulder. “Elyza with her arms wrapping around the thankful girl said, “You said you missed your phone so I uh, got you this.” Alicia pulling back and laying a chaste kiss against the blonde’s lips, “I love it.”

\--

The three are soon back on the winding roads of the city, moving in and out of the main streets to avoid the hordes that are all heading towards the massive smoke and fire cloud that is still sitting above the burning remains of Elyza’s beach house. Elyza was following the instructions that Alicia was showing with her arms.

Elyza wasn’t going full speed on the bike so that she’d have enough time to turn. She really wished that she could take Alicia on a joy ride at full speed. Her adoptive mother Martha had once gone 120 miles on an open strip and it had been the biggest rush Elyza had ever felt. Second to a very recent moment that Elyza would always hold close to her heart.

Alicia shouted above the wind that the house was coming up on the left of the street they were on. Elyza slowed down until she was only going a few miles an hour. Slowly she pulled up to a complete stop in front of the house, Alicia entered the security code that Strand had made them memorise before they left the house a few days ago. 

Elyza pulled the bike to a stop outside the front door and got off the bike, she was quickly joined by the two siblings, “Why don’t you two go first? They might think I’m just some intruder.” Nick nods as he moves towards the front door and opens it, even though this is their house he still treads carefully. Alicia turns to look behind her towards the empty driveway. “The others must not have gotten back yet.” She concludes before walking into the house side by side with Elyza, She sneaks her fingers through Elyza’s and grabs tightly. The motion is quickly returned by Elyza.

As the two girls reach the large open area at the front of the house they hear Nick shouting, “Strand! You here?” There’s no reply from anyone. “Somethings not right.” Nick says. “Strand didn’t come on the supply run and there’s no way he’d leave this house on his own. And there’s no cars in the driveway which means no one else is back yet” Elyza hasn’t met the man but from what the two siblings told her he doesn’t seem like the most trustworthy of people. “How do we know he didn’t go out on the boat?” Alicia shakes her head at the suggestion. “He can’t the speedboat to get there has no fuel, he’s not on the boat.”

They hear the growling before they see the walker. Elyza is about to pull the knife out of Alicia’s belt, but Nick having heard the groaning behind him spun around in one rushed and sloppy motion to swing his machete through the head of the walker and leaves the machete implanted in the wooden corner. “Nicky, getting better.” Elyza says with some sincerity in her voice. “Though next time, don’t leave the blade in the wall.” Alicia finished for Elyza as they move to where Nick is struggling to get the blade to budge. “Get out of the way Nick.” Elyza says coming up to the side with the handle. With one swift kick place correctly Elyza has removed the blade from the wall leaving it to fall into the ground with a loud crash.

“Something must have drawn walkers here. Strand and the others if they were here must have made a run for it.” Elyza says as Nick bends down to pick up the blade off the floor.  
Elyza can see the worry in the eyes of the other two. “Don’t worry, they’re alive. We haven’t seen their bodies and they’re not walkers.” Elyza was trying to help but the words came out kind of poorly, “Don’t worry we’ll find them.” Elyza says more to Alicia then Nick.

\--

They were back on the road for long while, at least a few hours driving up and down streets, before Elyza saw a group of people running down a side alleyway. She pulled up against the sidewalk. Once she was off the bike she jumped of a trash can so she could reach the fire escape. It landed with a loud clang on the concrete and she was moving up it with the two siblings following behind her. 

When they got onto the rooftop of the building Elyza looked down to see a group of six people trying to run. They weren’t moving very fast because four of the people were carrying someone and the last, she guessed Strand because of his skin, was moving ahead of them with a pistol in his hand. Behind them was the biggest group of walkers that Elyza had ever seen in one place. Cramped together in the small street were at least a few hundred walkers shuffling towards the group.

“There they are, they’re carrying someone. Alicia was next to Elyza in a heartbeat looking down at her family try to run from the swarm of walkers. Elyza saw that they weren’t going down any of the side streets. “They’re being smart, they don’t want to bottleneck themselves into a street they can’t get out of.” Elyza stood up straight, she pulled her pistols out of her thigh holsters and gave them to Nick. Elyza then pulled her to eagles out of her underarm holster. “Go to your family and get them back around to the truck. Don’t use these unless you have to.” 

Alicia grabbed Elyza around the face with her hands and pulled her face towards hers. “You come back or I’ll kill you.” Rather than joke about it Elyza simply said to her, “I’ll see you soon. I promise.” It was these last words that she saw some confidence return to the brunette’s face.

Alicia then began jumping across rooftops in pursuit of her family. Nick locked his eyes with Elyza and she just nodded solemnly at him knowing he’d understand her meaning to look after Alicia. Than he was off following his sister towards their group.

Elyza with a machete in one of her hands reached up with her empty hands to grab onto a now dead powerline. The machete came up to separate it from one side. Here goes she says to herself. Elyza then shouts something at the top of her lungs, something that she’d always wanted to. “Cowabunga!” She says as she jumps of the top of the four story building. Quickly approaching the ground. About halfway down the power line in her hand rips back and she begins to swing towards the front of the army of dead. 

Alicia looks back as she sees the blonde jump, she’d seen the rope in Elyza’s hand and knew that the Australian had a plan. But that didn’t mean she had to like it. “Come on Lysh, if anyone could be fine it would be her, we have to help the others.” Nick shouts at her, as he catches up to her, he grabs her hand and begins to drag her along, she quickly picks up the pace though and he know his sister has faith in their blonde saviour.

The ground quickly rushes up to meet Elyza and she can feel the wind whipping through her hair. A few more seconds and Elyza lets go of the power line and rolls through to land right in front of the horde. Elyza has a metre to either side of her and she begins to hack and slice into the first walker that comes up to have its shot at her.   
Elyza has taken down five walkers when she turns to no longer see the group of survivor’s, a few more she thinks, then she can run down one of the side streets and lead them away from Alicia.

Alicia jumps down from the short roof to land on the ground next to her group and is quickly joined by Nick. “Mom!” she shouts as Alicia runs up to bring her mother into the first hug she’d shared with the woman in quite some time. “Alicia!” the blonde woman shouts as she wraps an arm around the daughter she’d feared lost. Her other hand was still holding onto Ofelia who was clutching her leg. “What happened?” Daniel who was behind Madison glared at Strand with burning hatred. “Strand shot her by accident, he was going for a walker that was about to bite her.”

Alicia stared at Strand whose facial expression showed no sign that he had any sympathy or remorse for his actions, “I saved her life. You should be thanking me.” He says with arrogance and pride at his actions. “Mom we need to move. We have somewhere to go, follow us.” Nick says after he’d finished with hugging his mother. “No no there’s a horde behind us we have to keep moving.” Alicia smiles with pride when she looks back to see no walkers moving towards them. “Not anymore mom, come with us.” Elyza looks to Travis and he nods his agreement and soon the whole group is running up an alley and back around towards the truck.

Elyza’s lungs were beginning to ache. She was stumbling a little as she ran from the legion of walkers. Elyza only hoped that she’d distracted them long enough to give Alicia enough time to get to her family. Elyza continued to struggle ahead for another 10 minutes before her legs gave out under her. She was fit but she couldn’t run forever. Elyza turned her head to look at the oncoming dead who were only meters behind her and quickly closing in around her. Elyza knew it was time for her last resort and she pulled the little ball out of her belt, and pulled the pin out of it. She couldn’t keep running but the explosion would make a big enough distraction for her to get away. 

The little ‘Boom Ball’ as she’d so named it rolled into the crowd at the front Elyza moved to hide behind the large metal dumpster as she heard the beeping that signified the explosion was about to go off. The military had designed this explosive to draw walkers towards it before it went off to get as many of them as it could. The explosion was massive she could feel the heat of the fire as it heated up the metal of the dumpster. The force rocked it towards her. The ringing in her ears caused her to falter a little when she rolled out from behind the dumpster and headed for a fire escape ladder knowing the walkers wouldn’t be able to follow her up it.

“Fuck me.” Elyza breathed out as she looked down on the devastation the one grenade had caused. She saw parts from at least a dozen different walkers all strewn across the walls and floors of the alley. The walls of the alley were charred black from the fire. There was a small fire burning away at some trash that had been in the blast radius. Elyza continued to climb up the metal ladder to get to the roof where she’d be safe from the walkers and able to get back the way she’d come without any interruptions.

The small group had only just reached the vehicles when they heard the explosion go off about a mile away. “Elyza!” Alicia almost shouted when she’d seen the smoke rising up from where the explosion had gone off. Madison and Daniel were still wary of this Elyza character that her two children had described. Madison had heard how this blonde Australian had saved them after Nick had crashed the car. How the two had stayed with her and helped her raid a military depot. Alicia had just gotten up to them reaching Strands house when the explosion went off.

Daniel had doubted the believability of the blonde from the start. Why would someone do so much to help another, especially in a world like this. He wanted to know.  
After about 10 minutes of waiting Madison spoke “we need to leave, we have no idea what happened to this Elyza, and she could have been in that explosion for all we know.” Alicia with her anger just below the surface is about to fire back at her mother about waiting but Nick beats her “We can’t leave mom, after everything Elyza’s done for us we need to give her every chance we can.” Alicia never though a few weeks ago when she hated her brother for seizing on the ground and throwing up because of his drugs that she could come to feel that she could rely on him again. And Alicia was so glad that she could.

After another five minutes they heard the crash of metal on concrete as the ladder came to land on the ground on the street in front of them. Before Alicia has a chance to run and hug the obviously tired blonde, both Madison and Daniel have the guns that Elyza had given to Alicia and Nick, who’d given them to the adults, pointed straight at Elyza. “Mom what are you doing?” Alicia shouts at her mother, about to attack but Nick holds her back hoping his mother didn’t do something she’d regret.

Elyza with heavy breathes brings her hands above her head and holds them there. She is standing next to the truck while the group is resting together on the pavement a few metres away. “Mrs Clark. I presume.” “Mom listen to me, she is not the enemy she has saved us multiple times and she just saved everyone in this group just because she could.” Nick rushes out to his mother who turns her head to look him in the eyes, she looks down on him as if he is nothing but a naïve child. 

Daniel who hadn’t taken his eyes off of the blonde Australian spoken with his thick accent. “Why would one with nothing to gain save people for no reason?” he asked of the blonde. She simply chuckled and responded “Why not?” Alicia who was still being held back, “Mom please, we can trust her, listen to me.” “Be quiet Alicia, we can handle this.” Madison says without even looking at her daughter.

“It’s ok Babygirl. They can’t trust me just cause you say they can. They need to do it themselves now or they never will. It’ll be alright Alicia. I promise.”   
Alicia stopped struggling and Nick slowly released her. Alicia glared daggers at her mother, “Either she comes with us or I go with her mom.” Alicia whispered just loud enough for her mom and Nick to hear. Madison feels the rage buried inside her at her daughter’s choice of allegiance, “I’m your mother Alicia. You will do as I say.” Nick feels the anger at his mother that’s been building in his system since she’d slapped him. “And she is the woman who has shown us nothing but kindness and care. If you don’t take her in you’ll lose Alicia and me.”

Madison, at the realisation that neither of her children would support her in this lowers her gun. Anger coursing through her veins at them, “How could you chose her,” Madison grunts angrily pointing the eagle at Elyza, “Over me?” Nick walks up to her to look her in the eyes but its Alicia that delivers the killing blow, “Elyza’s not the one pointing the gun at the best chance we have at surviving this nightmare.” Madison gave up, “Be it on your own head than.” She hissed out before finding some comfort in the arms of her fiancé.  
While the Clarks had been fighting Daniel had moved forward away from the group to stand toe to toe with the blonde woman, he held the other eagle in his hand with the experience that betrayed him. He stands only a few inches above her and is about to start questioning her when she beats him to it. 

“You’re not a good man are you?” The words surprised him to say the least but he managed to keep his composure. “No I am not, good people are the first to go.” She nods at him. “You’re military, I can tell, my father carried the same guilt and self-hatred in his eyes. He did things that no one should ever know of.”   
The Salvadorian man feels unbalanced at the blonde’s apparent understanding of his past life. “I want to join your group, I’m willing to share everything in the back of the truck.” She says while gesturing with her hands to the vehicle behind her. 

Daniel moves to pull back the tarp covering the stockpile of food, weapons and clothes. “Why would you be willing to share this?” he starts, “you are a good person and it is going to get you killed, saving everyone, offering everything you have to the first group that comes along.” The smirk on Elyza’s face is gone. “Mr. Salazar, you’re right.” This blonde just keeps surprising him. “The good people are the first to go.” She lowers her hands to her sides knowing that the eagle is still trained on her and the man would shoot without a second thought.

“Alicia told me about what happened to your daughter, about what you did to the soldier she was with.” Daniel hadn’t expected to her to know about that. “I’m not criticising, I know the lengths a parent will go to, to do what they think is right to save their child, that’s why I harbour no anger for Madison, in her shoes I’d probably do the same.” “Elyza, you still haven’t answered me, why would you save them for no gain to yourself?” “I was telling the truth, I had no reason not to. I knew I could take on the walkers and I really don’t particularly enjoy watching people get torn apart if it’s all the same to you.”

“Elyza you’re avoiding the real answer, you know I know that.” Daniel pushes for a truthful answer to his question. “Can’t you just accept I’m here to help you and have no intention or reason to not do so?” He just smiles but not one of kindness, Elyza knows that he won’t stop until he has his answer. “You know I can’t Elyza.” Elyza sighs before she admits it “Because I care about her.” 

Daniel is shocked to say the least at this open admission from the blonde. “You saved the two of them and fell for the girl. Is that right Elyza?” Elyza doesn’t say anything but just nods. “Elyza, being a good person in this world is a luxury that you cannot afford. It will get you killed, as well as her.” Elyza would be tempted to move closer and make him feel uncomfortable with her closeness, but he still has her gun trained on her heart. “Do you not think I know that Daniel. I know that good people go first, I can’t stop myself from being who I am.” 

Daniel just sighs and begins to walk back to the group, “Mr Salazar.” He turns to face her. “You said I was a good person. You were wrong. I have rules. Good people don’t need rules, you know that. I am the person who is going to do absolutely anything in my power to make sure that Alicia gets to see tomorrow. Just as you did and will always do for Ofelia.” Elyza whispers to him, her voice in hushed but harsh and Daniel can hear the genuineness in her voice. Daniel turns back to face her, reaching out with the magnum in his hand for her to take, when she grabs it he leaves his hand out and she grabs it “Welcome, Miss Lex.”

Elyza looks at the gun to see that the safety was flipped to on. “You never intended to shoot me did you?” Daniel chuckles to himself and calls back to her, “A girl who can take on a whole horde by herself, you were an asset whether I could trust you or not.” Elyza is confused. “If you didn’t trust me why would you give me the chance?” “Elyza you have everything you need to survive in that truck. I didn’t trust you but I trusted that you had reason to help us. And now I can trust that reason and you as well.”

The two of them walked back to the group, Alicia ran to hug Elyza. Elyza returned the hug just as tightly, Elyza breathed in the brunette’s scent. She’d been scared that she would never get to hold Alicia again. Elyza dipped her head into the crack between Alicia’s shoulder and neck, her new favourite place she’d decided. Alicia whispered into her ear, 

“Cowabunga?” the question was simple and it brought Elyza’s smirk back in full force. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, please tell me you’ve seen it.” Elyza can feel Alicia shaking her head next to her. “Well I promise I’ll find a way for you to watch it. TMNT was my favourite show as a kid, I was definitely a Mikey fangirl.” Alicia just smiles at her blonde’s happiness at a memory. Wait a second, ‘her blonde’?

Nick came walking up to the two girls “So, Elyza. Part of the group yeah, good to have you” He says as he pats her and heads towards the truck that the group was squeezing into the back of. “Where we going then?” Elyza asks slowly pulling away from Alicia but maintaining contact. “We’re heading back to Strand’s house. I told them we cleared it. And we’ve got more than enough supplies to head to the Abigail, courtesy of yourself. I must if you have any oil in that truck?” “Yeah I do, about 20 litres.” “Good that should be more than enough for the speedboat.” He smiles genuinely and walks past them. 

The last person to walk past the two of them is Victor Strand. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Lex.” He says in a voice that make him seem like he is genuinely interested in who she is. “I must say you are most welcome aboard the ‘Abigail’, and thank you for saving my life, I am in your debt.” He quickly walks past the two of them towards the truck. The two girls are left alone and start to walk towards Elyza’s bike that’s closely parked to the truck.

Alicia is about to swing her leg over the bike behind Elyza as if she’d done it a thousand times before and it was just instinct at that point when they hear Madison, “Alicia what the hell are you doing? Get in the truck now.” Elyza can see that even if Alicia wanted to there was no room left. “Why, there’s no room left.” Madison quickly counters with “Like hell you’re riding a motorcycle. Over my dead body.” Elyza quietly mumbles that it could be arranged and Alicia has to struggle to maintain a straight face. She is about to argue back that Elyza is an amazing driver when Victor interrupts. “I will go with Miss Lex.”

Everyone looks at the black man with curiosity at why the man whom only cares about himself would want to go on the bike. He answers their unspoken questions. “That woman there can apparently take on a horde 50 strong of walkers and walk away, she is the safest person of this entire group to be around. I am concerned that the heat as affected your brains when she is clearly the best option for a travel companion yet you all wish to remain in this hot truck.” By the time he has finished talking he is standing next to the bike waiting for Alicia to get off of it. 

“Come on Alicia, get in the truck now.” Madison says with no kindness or gentleness in her voice. Alicia knows she can’t get out of it and turns her head to face Elyza, “its ok I’ll be right in front of you Lysh.” Elyza says before she lays a small but caring kiss on Alicia’s lips. One that’s over far too soon for her liking, but she doesn’t really have a say in the matter. Elyza can see the look of shock that is written over everyone’s faces inside the truck except for Nick whom she just nods to and he returns it.

Elyza soon feels the arms of Victor come to rest lightly around her waist, apparently the bare minimum he’d need to maintain a grasp on her and she was thankful for his need to keep distance from people. “Here, you’ll want this.” Elyza says as she passes the helmet back to him. 

Before Elyza starts the bike she looks into the back of the truck to see Nick helping Alicia up and into it, she sits next to him facing Chris who was supporting Ofelia who’d fallen asleep on his shoulder. He still wore a look of shock at what he’d witnessed between Alicia and Elyza.

Daniel and Travis she saw getting in the front of the truck, which left Madison whose anger could be felt from where Elyza was sitting. Alicia had apparently realised that Elyza had kissed her to piss of her mother as much as she had done it cause she enjoyed it. Nick must of realised it too because he looked extremely awkward sitting between the two women.

\--

They had been following Elyza and Victor at a decent speed before Madison decided to speak, her first words were “Chris, swap seats with me now.” The cold commanding tone left nothing to be questioned and Chris had himself where Madison was in an instant. Madison took Chris place and Ofelia’s head fell back against her shoulder, the girl had managed to stay asleep.

“I’d just like to know what the hell you were thinking!” Madison almost roars at her children, “You trusted a complete stranger, you let her lead you to her house. You have no idea what she wanted from you.” Alicia and Nick sat there but they weren’t afraid, at least Alicia wasn’t, Nick on the other hand well. “She could have been leading you to your deaths, or worse.” Chris while not being the target was not faring very well and was trying his hardest to be as small as possible. Ofelia had woken up to the sound of shouting and had instantly pulled herself as far as possible from Madison, she didn’t think the blonde even noticed.

“She killed nearly a hundred walkers to help us, I doubt anyone would go to the effort just to hurt us later.” Alicia argued back against her mother. “I don’t give a shit how many she killed, she gave you no reason to trust her.” Nick finally having heard enough decided that he at least needed to try and make his mother understand. “She gave us machete’s mom, both of us. Why would she trust us with weapons?” Madison didn’t have an argument for that, “I don’t know why, you should have taken them and run in the opposite direction.”

The next statement from Madison was directed at Nick specifically, “How could you let that woman touch your daughter like that? You’re her brother, you’re supposed to protect her.” Nick was done, Elyza had seen it when he hadn’t, how everyone tried to control and boss around Alicia, and he couldn’t believe he’d taken part in it. 

“Elyza is one of the kindest and caring people I’ve ever met mom. Before and after this shit started, Alicia couldn’t have found a better partner.” Alicia was truly shocked at how much her brother was doing for her. “Elyza would do anything to protect Alicia. Mom Elyza would die for Alicia. You should be thanking Elyza for the chance to see your children again.” 

Madison was stunned. Nick had never once spoken to her like that his entire life. Madison with no energy left to shout turned her head to Alicia with tears in her eyes as if she was begging Alicia to see reason. “No mom. You don’t get to do that. Not after you pointed a gun at Elyza. You should be down on your knees thanking her for saving your life. She could have died to do it and you repay her by stuffing her own gun in her face.” Alicia is done and doesn’t say another word to her mother. Alicia doesn’t even look at her.

“Alicia’s right mom. Maybe you could stop looking for reasons not to trust her and give her a chance. Daniel trusts her, and he trusts no one. Please just give her a chance to show that she’s good for us, for Alicia.” Nick tried one last time.

Madison gave up. Her children trust this woman, hell the Salvadorian man that distrusts everybody for no good reason found one to trust the blonde. Madison stays silent for the rest of the ride back to Victor’s house.

\--

After about another 30 minutes of driving Elyza was slowing down and pulling into Strand’s drive way. “Drive straight on, there’s a road through to the beach.” Strand called out to the blonde.

Once Elyza pulls onto the beach she slows down and comes to a stop on the small wooden pier to which a medium sized speedboat is tethered.   
The truck comes to a stop next to the bike and everyone starts to climb out the back while the two men jump down from the cab. “Elyza” Travis calls out. He walks up to her with his hand reached out in a welcoming gesture “I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself, I’m Travis, and it’s nice to meet you”. Elyza smiles as she returns the gesture with a strong grip and shakes his hand. “It’s nice to meet you too sir.” Elyza liked this man he seemed friendly if a bit passive.

“I know my fiancé may be a little excessive, but I want you know that she is extremely grateful to have her children back.” Elyza grins knowing the man is attempting to apologize for Madison’s mistrust. “I would like to say thank you on both our behalves for helping them get back safely.” Before he continues Elyza buts in “Its ok Travis, you really don’t have to thank me it was my pleasure. And don’t worry about Madison, in her position I’d have been just as hostile if some random showed up with my children.” 

The look on the man’s face was one of gratefulness. “Thank you for understanding, Elyza.” He has trouble getting out her name and she realises that it’s because she shares it with the man’s late ex-wife. “I’d like to offer my condolences,” She offers “for the death of your ex-wife. I’ve been in a situation like that and it’s not something you get through without some scars.” The man with a knowing look in his eye nods and moves away to help will the boat with the bottles of oil in the truck.

Alicia smiles at Elyza with those beautiful lips and breathtaking eyes, as she carries the oil to the boat. Elyza moves to grab the last bottle and pour the contents into the port for oil on the boat. Once they’re done filling the boat with the oil Elyza moves to hug Alicia. “How’d it go?” Elyza asks knowing Madison would’ve had a lot to say. “It could have been worse. I don’t think she’ll try to kill you anymore” Elyza chuckles as the two move back to the truck to begin unloading the rest of the supplies.

Loading of the boat takes about an hour and about halfway through Madison pulls Elyza to the side. Alicia catches Elyza’s eye but Elyza waves at her to signify that she’d be fine.  
“Can we talk?” Madison starts. “Of course Mrs Clark” Elyza responds trying to be respectful to the clearly uncomfortable woman. Madison hands back Elyza’s magnum and Elyza quickly tucked into the strap having received the other two from Travis.

“I” is all Madison gets out before Elyza offers her hand forward. There are no words as Madison shakes it firmly but not roughly. As far as Elyza is concerned there is nothing that Madison needs to say to her but, Elyza needs to say something to Madison. “I want you to know Mrs Clark. There is nothing I would not do to ensure the safety and happiness of your daughter. And if there ever comes a day where that means I have to leave then rest assured I would leave and never come back.”

Madison just looks in bewilderment at the young blonde, with nothing else coming to her mind Madison simply says, “You can call me Madison if you want to Elyza.”  
The work is soon done and everyone climbs on board the speed boat and Strand starts up, he lets out a laugh when the engine roars to life at his hands. In Elyza’s hands however was something much more important. Alicia. After the day they’d had Elyza was happy to just hold her close. They held each other’s hands without needing to speak for the short boat ride out to the ‘Abigail’. Which Elyza noted was much bigger in person.

The large ship had cables with hooks on the end reaching down from the side that Victor instructed to attach to various rails around the ship. Strand then pressed a button and the boat was lifted out of the water. Elyza reached out to feel the smooth paint on the side of the ship as they were slowly lifted up. The paint was near perfect as Elyza couldn’t find a single blemish or even a brush mark.

The wooden panelling of the deck was pristine, as if no one had ever walked on it before. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the Abigail. She has six bedrooms each with its own ensuite. Below deck there is a games room with a kitchen attached, and at the bottom above the engine there is a large lounge area with a TV. This ship has everything we could ever want.” Strand says with pride about his ship.

Elyza speaks up before anyone else, “I think we should probably turn one of the bedrooms into an armoury so all the guns are in one place.” Everyone else in the group nods in agreement, even Madison if only slightly. Elyza can see she is standing very close to Travis, her hand entwined with his. Nick and Alicia are still avoiding their mother’s glances.  
“I agree with your idea Miss Lex. I will of course be having the master bedroom, the other four I recommend you split amongst yourselves. Now I myself am very tired so I bid you a goodnight.” With that Strand grabs his large shoulder bag and begins to make his way towards an external staircase before opening a door labelled as ‘bedroom 1”.

The remainder of the group began moving inside the ship through a main door. Alicia thinks it typical of Strand to take the room that places him furthest from everyone else but she doesn’t exactly mind. They walk down the steps to find themselves in the games room that Strand had described. There was one door on each side and one at the end, each with a label identifying it as a bedroom.

The games room floor was mostly made of glass that to Elyza looked really thick. “At least we won’t fall through.” She whispers to Alicia, receiving a small giggle.  
Chris speaks up for the first time since Elyza met him. “We should make that room the arm’s room. It’s central and close to the stairs.” They were both valid points Elyza agreed. “Agreed.” And so it was agreed upon that that room would store all the weaponry. 

Daniel with Ofelia in his arms quickly moved past the group to open one of the doors to a room with two separate beds lying inside. “We’ll take this one.” Daniel called to the group. “I could take a look at your bandage if you wanted Ofelia.” Elyza had been worried since she’d seen it. It looked like a rushed job that had been done on the move. “Tomorrow if that’s ok Elyza, I’m really tired right now.” Elyza just smiled and said “Of course, tomorrow then.” 

Chris and Nick opened the door opposite the arm’s room. “We’ll take this one then.” The two boys said before saying “Goodnight all.”  
The last two couples moved down the spiral staircase on the left of the kitchen to the lounge floor. It really did have a TV. Strand however failed to mention how large it was. “Fuckin hell.” Elyza can’t stop herself from saying out loud. Madison had moved to one of the rooms and opened it to see that there was a large king bed. This must be the floor for couples that sleep together.

She then stares at the two girls who are looking at the large TV and walking around the room. Their hands stay in each other’s the whole time and it looks like they don’t even notice. Deciding that arguing about them taking one of the rooms upstairs with two separate beds isn’t worth it Madison simply says “Goodnight girls.” Elyza being polite returns with her own “Goodnight” to the two adults.

Alicia and Elyza open the door to what it apparently going to become their room. It is reasonably large and the bed looks extremely comfortable. Elyza being a little child takes a running start and jumps onto the bed causing the cushions that had been sitting on it to go flying. 

Alicia just chuckled and walked past the bed, over to look out the large window in their room. “Look Elyza, you can see the coast.” Elyza moving to stand next to the brunette asked, “Can you see my bike?” Elyza was concerned that she’d had to leave inside the truck on the shore. 

Alicia laid down on the bed. “I’m tired.” Elyza climbed over to the girl on her hands and knees having kicked her shoes and jeans off first. Alicia couldn’t help but stare down Elyza’s shirt at the abundance of cleavage on display, not that Elyza minded of course. “See something you like Babygirl?” Elyza fell into Alicia’s grip, her head quickly moving to its favourite spot just above Alicia’s heartbeat. That was how she fell asleep, being tightly gripped by the beautiful brunette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long chapter but I had a lot I wanted to get down story-wise.


	8. This Paradise of Ours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly this chapter is fluff for the sake of fluff, Enjoy!!

Throughout the entire night the two girls only moved once so that Alicia could wrap herself around the blonde from behind. There sleep remained uninterrupted while the girls moved, as if they both just realised that the other wanted to.

The gentle smooth breath on the back of her neck on her baby hairs was enough to slightly rouse Elyza from her sleep. She noticed the position that her and Alicia had adopted. Rather than adjust it and risk waking Alicia she decided it was better to just wiggle her toned butt as far back into Alicia as she could. Elyza wanted to be as close to Alicia as she could in that moment. Elyza knew she should be thankful for being able to even have her as close as she was.

Elyza was selfish and wanted the best available and she was going to get it. While Elyza was wriggling herself backwards into Alicia’s front, she was also pulling the sleeping girl closer using the arm that was draped over the blonde’s waist. As if able to sense what was happening in her sleep, Alicia used that arm to pull Elyza closer to herself. 

Elyza was truly content in that moment when the woman she had grown to care about pulled her closer even in sleep. There was no warmer feeling then realising that a person cares about you even when they’re not conscious.

Elyza was soon able to return to sleep with the strong warmth of the breathtaking woman pulling her close against her lithe frame.

\--

Alicia was groggy when she awoke to the strong rays of sunlight breaking through the curtains on their cabin window. The warmth she was feeling wasn’t coming from the sun though. It was coming from the muscled form of the blonde Australian whom Alicia had shared her bed with. And whose back was now being pressed flush against her front.

Alicia opened her eyes to the locks of blonde hair that fell out of the blonde’s scalp. Alicia raised herself up on one elbow to more closely examine the gorgeous woman, with whom she’d started to form a very close relationship with.

Alicia reached out with her hand to trace the muscles on Elyza’s back that weren’t covered with the tank top she wore. Fascination and curiosity took over when she found the start of a medium sized tattoo that started just below the girl’s right shoulder. Alicia had never really had the opportunity to notice it.

The design was not overly complex and yet Alicia felt perplexed by the possible meaning that it could have to the blonde woman. Alicia tugged down the tank top to fully reveal the design. It was a simple chess piece, a white knight. Only using the lightest possible touch, Alicia began to trace the outline of the chess piece. 

“It’s beautiful.” The whisper was barely audible, even if she was awake Elyza probably wouldn’t have been able to hear it.

After about five minutes of doing nothing but tracing the blonde’s back Alicia moved her hand up to Elyza’s face to brush some hair out of her face. Even though Elyza was asleep she still leaned into the touch and Alicia thought it was just too cute.

Alicia moved so that her back was flat against the headboard of their bed. As soon as Elyza no longer felt the warmth behind her she unconsciously moved her body so that her head was now resting in the sitting brunettes lap. Alicia began to subconsciously stroke head while silently memorizing the blondes soft and round features, paying particular attention to the closed eyes that she knew hid Alicia’s new favourite colour. 

Alicia sat in this position for about 20 minutes, just stroking Elyza’s blonde locks with a smile plastered all over her face. Elyza turned her head so it was now facing towards Alicia’s lower stomach. “Thought I’d have to wait a while before I got this close.” Elyza quips with her eyes still closed but her signature smirk was right where it belonged.

Alicia just grinned, “Keep talking like that and you’ll be waiting a bit more babe.” Her hand never stops brushing her fingers across the blonde’s face, but now every time Elyza knelt her hand into the caress to try and extend the feeling for as long as she could. Alicia couldn’t help but be reminded of a puppy she’d once pet, no matter how much she pet it, the little animal kept leaning in like it was the first time it’d ever been pet.

“Come up here.” Alicia quietly says but her sultry tone causes Elyza’s eyes to open and reveal her baby blues which Alicia would happily drown in. Elyza picked herself up, but instead of lowering her face down to where Alicia wanted it, she decided to go one better. Elyza still in her boyshorts lifted her left thigh over Alicia’s stretched out legs, her knees sitting next to her hips.

Elyza moved forward until her hips were just above Alicia’s. She felt the brunette girls wrap around her waist and pull her closer still, this was closer followed by Alicia’s head coming to a rest on Elyza’s chest just above her breasts and staying there. Elyza wrapped her arms around Alicia’s head and began to gently massage the girls back.

This was how Madison found them when she walked into the room without knocking like she always did. Madison had been quiet and therefore the two teenager’s attention was entirely focused on the other. Madison could see the happiness written on Elyza’s face and the grip with which she was being held by Alicia.

“I’m sorry to interrupt this moment.” She starts gently to a jump by the blonde who soon relaxes when she sees it’s just Madison. Alicia, after a brief shock just wrapped her arms tighter around the blonde, doing everything she could to avoid looking at her mother who’d only yesterday pointed a gun at the woman she now held in her embrace.

“That’s ok Mrs Clark, can I uh,” Elyza begins while slowly bringing her arms to wrap around the back of Alicia’s head, “help you with something?” Madison can see she interrupted an intimate time between the two. While Madison didn’t completely trust the blonde she could see that Alicia had found someone who would devote themselves to her protection, and Elyza’s dedication to that cause she couldn’t fault.

“No it’s alright Elyza, I just came to say that I made breakfast, it’s just toast with the last of the bread, but if you’re interested?” Madison offered. “Thanks,” Elyza said with honest gratitude, “We’ll be out soon. Won’t we princess?” Elyza asks to the top of Alicia’s head, with Madison in the room all Elyza receives is a small nod that she more feels against her chest then actually sees.

Madison closes the door quietly as she leaves the room. “Come on Babygirl.” Elyza softly coos in the girl’s ear while tracing patterns along her back. All Elyza gets back in return is a moan of disapproval at the idea. “Come get some breakfast and I’ll make it worth your while.” Elyza offers as she begins to move away from the brunette. She has a little bit of trouble seeing as Alicia seems to like the position they were in.

 

Slowly however, Alicia pulls her head back to look quizzically at Elyza. “What do you mean?” the curly brunette hair that’d been ruffled by her sleep was now plastered across her face, hiding half of it from view. The brunette’s grasp was still tight but began to loosen as the blonde began to slowly comb the hair back of the beautiful girls face. 

Elyza slowly leant her head forward till her lips were just above Alicia’s ear. The warm breath on her sensitive lobe was sending shivers down her spine. Elyza seemed to be drawing it out, enjoying seeing the brunette squirm under the closeness but lack of contact. “You’ll see.” Elyza whispers straight into her ear and in the next second is standing next to the bed somehow having gotten out of Alicia’s little hold.

Green eyes were locked on pale skin as Alicia stared at Elyza’s ass while she was moving to the bathroom, Elyza had her arms stretched up and her hands were in her hair. Her shirt was being pulled up and Alicia couldn’t help but stare blankly, she could see where the boy shorts ended on the girl’s toned back, and cheeks were starting to show from the scrunched up fabric. Dryness was abundant within her mouth, she couldn’t even swallow properly. 

It was a few seconds before she noticed that the beautiful ass was no longer moving. Eyes travelled up Elyza’s frame to slowly lock glances with stormy blues, “I knew you were an ass girl.” Elyza remarks while chuckling, she closes the bathroom door behind her before Alicia has a chance to make a comeback, not that she really had one.

\--

Once the two girls had showered and gotten dressed thy decided to go to the kitchen upstairs before there was no toast left. Their hands had found each other before they’d even left their room and that didn’t change until they’d sat down next to each other on one of the couches in the games area. Everyone else was already sitting there, trying to not look like they’d all been waiting for the two girls to appear.

“What’s up?” Elyza openly questioned to anyone who’d answer, all the eyes that had been on them immediately left, except for Chris whose stare was focussed on the two hands of the girls.

Elyza could feel a bit of awkwardness, so instead of staying quiet and talking with Alicia, she decides to keep trying. “Bloody hell, what I wouldn’t give for a damn meat pie.” She says loudly. “Well you’re welcome to go look for one.” Chris deadpans, receiving a cold glare from Alicia in the process. “All righty, got a bite, you want to come with?” She asks him, His face drops realising that he shouldn’t have tried to sneak anything past the sharp blonde.

“It’s ok Chrissy mate, I kind of feel like having a wag day anyway.” Now everyone is just looking at her like she’s speaking a whole different language. “Maybe tomorrow arvo, we can have do a run to the servo yeah? Don’t suppose the grog would still be good.” She finishes more to herself than anyone else.

Alicia nudges her in the side, “English babe.” She says with a smile while she bites down into some toast her mother had brought her. Alicia thought she’d caught Chris flinching out of the corner of her eye at the pet name, oh she was going to have fun torturing him. She knew he’d always had a crush on her, she’d always found it a little childish. Just for fun she brought her legs up to her chest and began to snuggle into Elyza’s more than accommodating body, the blonde’s arm quickly coming to wrap around her before Elyza had even noticed.

They sat like that for an hour or so, “I’m bored.” Elyza moaned loudly, the only person still paying attention to her was Alicia, which was all she needed. “What do you want to do?” Alicia played along with the blonde. “I don’t know.” Came the reply, to which Alicia just sighed. 

“Do you want to do some drawing?” “No.” “Watch TV?” “No” “Read a book” Elyza’s head bolted up, “Oh oh, I know.” Elyza said, looking giddy and excited like a child. “Let’s go diving.” The replies from the rest of the group, having perked up at the blonde’s outburst, were less than enthusiastic. The group still followed the blonde when she ran up the stairs, Alicia, closest behind her.

Chris gets a combat boot to the head when he walks through the door to the deck, he narrowly doges the second one as he sees Elyza wriggling her way out of her black jeans. Alicia is standing next to them holding what appears to be the blonde’s jacket and socks, the jeans soon join the pile.

Before anyone can even think to ask what the crazy blonde is doing now, Elyza is sprinting full speed to the edge of the ship. Without slowing down she launches herself of the deck. Alicia watches the blonde bring her legs up and shout, “Cannonball!” before there is a loud splash into the sea bellow. Without dropping the clothes in her hands Alicia, panicking slightly, runs to the edge to peer over.

As Alicia reaches the edge of the Abigail’s deck Elyza breaches the surface of the ocean, taking in a big gasp of air before running her hands back through her wet blonde locks. “You coming in, the water’s lovely.” Elyza says patting the water next to her, causing small ripples to be sent out around her.

Without a second Alicia dropped the blonde’s clothes into a messy pile, her own soon joining as Alicia stripped down to just a shirt and her undies, similar to her blonde. Wow did she just call the blonde hers, she questions herself. She looks back just to make sure Chris’s nose hasn’t started to bleed, it hasn’t.

Alicia moves back a bit to give herself some space, once she believes she has enough she starts to sprint full speed just as the blonde had moments before. Her mother and brother just stand there, on opposite sides of the group, her mother just wears a look of shock, while Nick is smiling, happy to finally see his sister with joy on her face and in her movement. It was something that he hadn’t seen in a long time and sorely missed.

Alicia leaps from the ship headfirst, the water quickly rushes up to meet her as she dives into the water. The water envelops her almost completely, it had been years since she’d been swimming but she hadn’t realised how much she’d missed it.

As Alicia breached the surface she was met with a large splash of water to the face from and Elyza who’d been lying in wait for an opportunity to strike. Alicia quickly fire back, refusing to admit defeat to the blonde. Realising Alicia wouldn’t quit Elyza opted for a different, more intimate strategy. Elyza dived underwater a few feet until she was under the brunette who treading water. 

Her body slowly rose up in the water slowly, Elyza willing herself not to rise to quickly, lest the surprise be ruined. Her head broke the surface, her lungs were begging to take a large breath but she managed to ignore it long enough to wrap her slender arms around the brunette’s body locking her arms to her side. 

Alicia screamed in surprise at the sudden capture of her body, “Shh Babygirl, it’s just me.” Elyza sighed in her ear and she felt the body in her arms instantly loosen up. Alicia realising whose arms she was in leaned back to feel Elyza’s breasts pushing against the middle of her back, she leaned her head back to rest it on the blonde’s shoulder. They stayed like that close to each other for a few moments before they became soaked by a body landing in the water close to them. The wave rocks them and leaves them spitting water out of their mouths.

Chris soon comes up from the water to a view that he probably wasn’t expecting, he was receiving death glares from both the girls who were still trying to cough up the salty seawater that they’d accidentally swallowed. The grin on the boy’s face began to fall when Elyza simply said, “Nice.” In the flattest tone she could manage. The two girls hand in hand began to swim away from him so they could be on their own.

Daniel and Ofelia stayed on board the ship, Ofelia not wanting to expose her wound and Daniel wanting to not leave his daughter by herself. Travis and Madison went back downstairs to find clothes that they could use as swimmers seeing as no one thought to pack any. Nick strips down to some cargos and dives in to join the boy who would have become his step brother had the world stayed on track.

Chris paddled over to Nick, “Hey man, what’s up with the blonde?” He asks, he hadn’t liked the idea of anyone else joining their group, and he liked even less how close his would be step sister had gotten to the girl, yet he couldn’t deny his attraction to the Australian. “Elyza’s awesome dude, you should have seen her fighting the hordes.” Nick begins to praise Elyza’s heroic actions, and it is not what Chris wants to be hearing. 

“No I mean like,” Chris takes a pause trying to think of how he can phrase what he wants to ask without seeming to invested. Nick seems to sense where Chris wants the conversation to go and decides to put a stop to it, “Chris, stop. It ain’t going to happen. Ever.” Nick begins to swim around enjoying the cool water and allowing himself to relax where the walkers can’t reach him.

Travis and Madison are soon climbing down the ladder on the side of the boat, and joining the teenagers in the ocean. Nick deciding to see how the girls are going begins to glide through the water like the natural swimmer he’d been before he’d found his new highs.

“How’s it going ladies?” the two girls who’d simply been sharing the same space, heard from behind them. They turned together, Alicia having found her way back into Elyza’s arms, to face the skinny boy whose hair was plastered across his forehead. “My throats dry from the water.” Alicia is quick to complain to her older brother, followed by a scoff from her blonde floatation device.

“Yeah well Chris thought it would be funny. I told him not to.” Nick is quick to remove himself from the opportunity to be blamed for what happened. “Oh and Elyza, you might want a heads up.” Elyza’s face shows nothing but confusion at Nick’s statement, however Alicia instantly understands her brother’s meaning and groans. “What does he mean?” Elyza asks about the statement of the retreating boy.

“It means that Chrissy has his eyes on you.” Elyza can’t help but feel a small bite of pride to hear Alicia use one of her nicknames. “Oh this is going to be fun.” Alicia rolls her eyes knowing that the blonde can’t see her face. “As annoying as he is, don’t hurt him too much, we are stuck on this boat with him, we really don’t need anything to be more awkward.” Alicia can feel the arms around her tighten, “Is someone jealous that I’m getting attention?”

Spinning around in an instant with blushed cheeks Alicia is quickly trying to explain what she meant, but it’s hopeless. Elyza could see right through her. “Don’t worry your cut little head pumpkin. He may have eyes for me but I only have eyes for you.” Alicia snapped her mouth at the honest admission of care from the blonde girl in front of her.

With her arms spread out she begins to slowly propel herself into Elyza’s waiting embrace. Alicia pushes her lips softly against Elyza’s as her arms come to clasp against the gentle skin of the blonde’s lower back. With her lips still locked in the affectionate kiss, she begins to think how quickly she’d fallen for this beautiful girl, it hadn’t even been a week. Instead of feeling nervous however she feels nothing but confidence about being with Elyza, she hadn’t been this happy in what felt like a whole other lifetime.

Madison had been watching the intimate moment between the two girls from a distance, she’d been counting a competition between the boys for who could hold their breath the longest. Trust was still not something she felt when she thought of Elyza but she was slowly coming around to the idea, Alicia always had been a good judge of character in any case. Madison doubted that Alicia would be this comfortable around someone who she shouldn’t.

Travis is the first to come up for air. Madison is still distracted by her daughter and Travis can easily tell why. “Maddy.” He gently calls his fiancé, “Alicia’s fine.” Madison turns in the water to face her soaked husband and lets out a weak smile. “I know she is Travis. I just, Nick and Alicia barely know much about her, let alone us.”

“It’ll take time, she barely knows anything about us as well. She has to find it in herself to trust us just like we do with her. It’s something we can work to.” Travis always knows what to say to calm her, “thanks.” Is all she can really think to say before Chris surfaces from the water closely followed by Nick. “We have a winner!” she calls out.

\--

The group had swum around for a few hours before they decided that it was probably time for some food and rest.

Elyza was sitting on a large couch on the bottom floor of the ship, slowly running her eyes over the cases of the various DVDs that were stored in glass cabinets that lined the walls.

“Anything worth watching?” Alicia asks as she approaches from behind while running a towel through her curly brown hair. She fell on to the couch, right into Elyza’s waiting side, an arm quickly coming around just as it had earlier that morning.

Alicia saw something she though would be interesting to watch and moved to pick it out from the shelf. “What is it? Please not some crappy drama, I hate those.” “You and me both.” Alicia is bending down to pull the DVD for The Matrix. “If you want to stay right there Babygirl I found something much better to watch.” Elyza says as she stares unabashedly at Alicia’s ass. “So I’m not the only the only ass girl, am I?” Alicia says with a smirk as she swings her hips from side to side, seeing Elyza’s head following on the glass reflection.

“Not a chance.” Elyza responds without breaking eye contact. 

While Alicia is putting the disc in the player, Chris comes down the stairs and drops himself down roughly on the couch, causing Elyza to spill the small bowl of lollies, Elyza’s favourites, which she’d been looking forward to sharing with Alicia. Chris doesn’t seem to realise that anything was wrong until he turns to look into the beast that had once been Elyza.

Barely containing her anger, she manages to growl out, “rethink that move son.” She says. Rather than be smart and recognise that he should probably leave the pissed of blonde alone Chris decides to do what he considers to be the logical option and antagonises the blonde. “It was just candies, don’t get your panties in a twist.” Chris was patting himself on the back thinking that he was being successful at flirting.

“I’d move if I were you Chris, if you want to keep use of your body parts.” Alicia says in a nonchalant tone as she finishes with the disc and begins trying to salvage some of the candies. Chris just laughs and turns to face Elyza, “So babe how…” He doesn’t finish the sentence before he is squealing like a small child due to his arm being twisted tightly around his back. 

Elyza manipulates the boy, using his vulnerable arm to get him to stand up. “Now Chris, here’s what’s going to happen, listen closely cause I ain’t gonna repeat myself. You’re going to go upstairs, leave Alicia and I alone, and understand that you have as much chance as a walker at getting in my pants.” Chris who was starting to shake and sweat from the pain sprinted as soon as his arm was released.

With the nuisance now gone the two girls settled down on to the couch to enjoy the movie, Alicia snuggled into the warm comfort that Elyza never failed to offer. “He’s not going to forgive you, you know?” Alicia asks while the opening credits of the movie are playing. “Point being?” Elyza asks while she traces small yet intricate designs through the brunette’s shirt. “Next time try to go a little easier, I know he’s annoying but we don’t need him actively trying to sabotage things for us.” 

Before she responds Elyza pulls the curly brown hair away from her neck and leas in to push a small kiss against the brunette’s neck, just below the hairline. “Movie Elyza.”

The girls laid there for the rest of the day, just enjoying the movie and each other’s company, by the time they’d finished the last of the trilogy they were both extremely exhausted. They only just made it back to their room before their bodies collapsed under them.

Within seconds they had stripped down to their ‘pyjamas’ neither attempting to hide the glances they were taking of the other.

Under the covers Elyza felt like being the big spoons and Alicia had no desire to complain. Elyza’s arm was soon wrapped around the brunette’s waist and Alicia could hear the even breathing of the blonde coming from behind her. As she tried to get to sleep she felt the arm around her pull tighter, Elyza pushed herself as close as she could possibly get to Alicia, and she’d never felt safer the she did in the blonde’s arms. This was how she fell asleep, with the strength of the blonde making her think that maybe the world was better off having ended, she had found her saviour.


	9. No Pause for Quarter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as Elyza and Alicia start to share a moment, the ship is attacked.

For the past half hour Alicia had been sitting in the lap of her blonde protector, lazily keeping their lips connected in what had to be on if the most relaxed yet most enjoyed kisses of her life. 

Alicia had woken up before the sun had come up, all those early mornings getting ready for school had limited any chance she had of sleeping in properly but if it meant she could spend more time with Elyza she wasn’t complaining. Elyza had woken soon after, and after a lot of groaning and moaning about being woken up early, Alicia’s enthusiasms was soon reciprocated by the blonde thanks to Alicia’s unorthodox persuasion methods.

“Ok maybe mornings aren’t so bad then.” Elyza said once Alicia had placed the blonde’s strong yet gentle hands on her ass. Alicia had then leaned her head forward and connected their lips in a searing kiss that she used to try and show all her passion.

Elyza’s hands had never been happier. Her palms were pressed deep into the delicate yet sturdy skin of Alicia’s butt. She had been massaging it with mild fervor, never going to hard but keeping just enough pressure to excite small moans of pleasure from Alicia.

Elyza slowly moved her mouth away from the full plump lips she had come to desire, and began to slowly move across the pale silky cheek. Elyza’s lips never actually parted from the skin as Alicia began to turn her head to move the blonde’s lips to where she wanted them. Alicia used her hands to guide Elyza’s head to her neck where the lips latched onto.  
Elyza began to gently suck and nibble at the point on Alicia’s neck where she could feel the increasingly excited rhythm of Alicia’s heartbeat. She slowly released her lips from the point to quickly say, “Someone’s excited.” Before her head was pulled back. “Enough talking.” Elyza was content now to just work on her masterpiece of a hickey that Alicia would apparently be proud to wear, if her grip on the blonde’s hair keeping her in place was any notion to follow.

After a while though Elyza heard Alicia’s stomach growl, while the brunette tried to hide it the blonde thought it was cute, she brought her head down so she could stick her ear into Alicia’s belly. “Shh. I think it’s trying to communicate.” Alicia jumped off the bed with a loud sigh, there was no way Elyza didn’t see the eye roll from the brunette in the process.

“Oh Come on. It was funny.” Elyza calls after the brunette’s retreating form. As Alicia entered the bathroom she saw on her neck the absolute mother of all hickies. Rather than annoyance or even anger at the blonde for marking her, Alicia felt a small pang of pride. Alicia had known this was going to be the result yet she had still let Elyza do this, hell she’d practically dragged the blonde’s head and planted it there.

Alicia thought back to her boyfriend. It was the first time in weeks since she’d allowed herself to think back upon normal times, times where she was planning to escape the confines of her family, be free to do what she wanted, and Matt had been supposed to be there right behind her. 

When this all started she’d been afraid to remember those things, to remember being happy, to remember being cared about by someone. She’d kept them all locked away, allowed herself to be angry at those who tried to hide her away like some scared child. Now she stood in this bathroom, looking at the biggest sign of affection she’d ever seen raging on her neck.

A small tear started to form in her eye. She’d finally found a person who wanted to stand beside her and hold her hand, to protect her but not shroud her. Elyza would never keep her locked away and say it was for her own safety.

Elyza was spread out on the bed, the blanket pushed down to only cover her lower legs after Alicia had thrown them off. Alicia had gone into the bathroom a while ago. “Hey Babygirl, you all good?” when Elyza didn’t receive a response she was worried something was up. “Alicia?” still no response.

Elyza knocked on the door just in case Alicia hadn’t heard her, she didn’t want to walk in on Alicia. There was still no response so the blonde slowly began to push the door open.  
Alicia was still standing in front of the mirror, a line of tears hung bellow her eyes. As soon as Elyza saw this she turned the girl around and wrapped her arms around her, “What’s wrong?” was asked by a now very worried Elyza. “Talk to me, I’m sorry did I do something?” Elyza had no idea what to say the crying girl, she was worried though that she’d made the girl feel uncomfortable, that they were moving too fast.

Her fears began to ebb however when Alicia didn’t push her away but rather wrapped her own arms tight around the Australian, “Elyza.” Was all she said before a few tears began to fall.

\--

Elyza stood there for a few minutes just allowing Alicia to get out what she needed to, she didn’t even think about how much she’d loved this shirt. The warm sun was now shining strong through the window keeping them warm as they stood there in nothing but their underwear and shirts.

Alicia sniffed a few times before lifting her head off of Elyza’s shoulder where it had been resting. “You ok?” Alicia only nodded in response, Elyza wanted Alicia to talk to her. “Babe you know I’d stand here for as long as it took but my feet are stinging so can we please talk, something’s hurting and I want to know what.”

Alicia leaned back in their embrace so she could look Elyza in her caring eyes. “I haven’t talked about it to anyone.” Elyza responded, “Then let me be the first. Please. Let me help you.”

Alicia began to describe to Elyza the relationship she’d had before the world had ended, how she’d wanted to run and Matt would have followed her. “I know about Matt Alicia.” 

Alicia stopped in her place in surprise before Elyza continued. “Nick told me what happened to him on the night that I’d first found you. I’m so sorry about what happened to him.” While Alicia was mad that Elyza already knew about Matt it was anger at Nick for going behind her back.

“I’m not crying about what happened to Matt, Elyza.” Alicia began in a tone that showed she was still sad about it. “I was crying because…” Alicia paused because she wasn’t sure how to say what she wanted to say, and if she even wanted to.

Unfortunately for her she never got the chance. 

Ofelia’s scream rang out through the entire ship, Alicia was out of the bathroom and putting on her pants before Elyza had even recognised who’d screamed. Elyza moved into the bedroom to try and get her pants on to go help but before she could get them up she heard the one thing she had never wanted to hear.

Alicia had been out the door and she was running up the stairs, but without realising she ran right into the barrel of an assault rifle. She screamed out knowing that Elyza was coming up right behind her, but before she finished she was hit upside the head.

\--

Elyza had heard Alicia and knew that she couldn’t charge in. It couldn’t be walkers not in the middle of the ocean. She suited up with her machetes and her eagles. Elyza slowly moved towards the door and leant her ear against. When the Aussie was certain that no one else was outside she slowly opened the door, only to quickly move back inside when she heard voices coming from the stairs.

She slipped into the bathroom and closed the door and lifted her guns to aim straight ahead.

The metal door clanged against the wall as someone entered, she heard heavy footsteps, that’s good for her, large ones are easiest to fight. Elyza waited for a few seconds before she stepped out of the bathroom making sure to not let the door hit anything. 

Standing in front of the window was one of the largest men Elyza had ever seen. Elyza almost wanted to vomit at what she saw in his hand. He held a pair of Alicia’s panties in his hand and he was running them around his hands. Elyza did throw up in her mouth when she saw him lift them up to his nose and begin to sniff. 

Elyza lowered the barrel to the back of the short man’s head and spoke very softy while pressing it in. “Be quiet and drop your gun.” The man’s breath picked up and got heavier, clearly not one to handle pressure well. In a high, squeaky and frankly pathetic voice he spluttered, “Please don’t hurt me.” The gun clattered down on a pile of clothes as she heard him start to break down and cry, not to mention a disgusting smell was starting to come from the man that made Elyza want to run.

To save herself the suffering she brought the butt of her other gun down on his head as hard as she could. The fat man fell forward, his stomach was so large that she wasn’t actually sure whether his head ever hit the ground.

The gun he’d been holding didn’t even have any bullets left in it, Elyza doubted she’d be as lucky with the others though as this guy seemed like a last resort fighter. Elyza grabbed a piece of thick string from her pack and began to tie the man up, then she grabbed a towel and made a gag. A final move, she picked up the panties he’d been sniffing with the blade of her machete and threw them out the window. “I’m sure you’d forgive me babe.”

Elyza moved to the lounge room locking her bedroom behind her, she wasn’t a fan of shocking surprises, and she’d learnt not to underestimate anyone. The other person that’d come down with the man was heading towards Madison’s room. The woman was wearing clothes that would look more at home on a walker. However she was thin and moving very quickly and quietly. Elyza took up place next to the room and lowered herself into a crouch to wait for the woman to exit.

Elyza knew that if Madison or Travis were in there then the woman wouldn’t shoot unless she needed to, Elyza hadn’t heard any gunshots so far so she guessed these people were taking prisoners.

She could hear the woman’s very light footsteps on the metal floor and she got ready. As soon as the woman’s feet were through the door Elyza leapt up and looked her arms around the invaders neck in a strong sleeper hold. The woman wasn’t strong enough to lift Elyza but she tried to run back to slam Elyza into the wall, all the while grunting and struggling to scream for help.

Elyza kicked the woman’s knee out and wrapped her legs around the ribs to try and wear the woman down more quickly. After a few more seconds of flailing arms trying to hit Elyza and unlock her grasp the woman slowly began to stop struggling. Just to make sure the woman wasn’t going to be a problem Elyza kept the hold on for a few seconds after the woman had stopped moving completely. 

After Unravelling herself Elyza tied up and locked the woman inside the Madison’s room.

Elyza heard the loud smash of something come from upstairs and looked up through the glass floor to see Chris’s bloody face pressed down on the ground, he was quickly picked up by two men, the teenager didn’t cease to struggle however and managed to get in a good punch on the guy holding his left arm.

Elyza sprinted up the stairs hoping to catch the two men off guard while they dealt with Chris. Once she was at the top of the stairs she slid along the floor on her side while using her leg to break one the guy’s knees, she saw the bone break through his skin. 

He went down screaming, dragging Chris and the other invader down with him. Elyza still on the ground brought her machete down to rest just above the other attacker’s throat, he stopped moving immediately. “Let him go.” He did so instantly and a messed up Chris got up and took several steps away from the scene. 

The man was still screaming and he’d started crying and sobbing. She waits with a gun aimed at the door to the deck. When no one comes down she brings her gun down and draws her other machete. While she’s still flat on her back she lowers it to the throat of the guy with a broken leg, “Quiet. Now.” A tone as cold as ice.

“Chris, here.” Elyza says as she tosses him one of her eagles, he fumbles and drops it on the ground while Elyza with her blades still on both of their throats just sighs and rolls her eyes. After doing so she catches the eye of the guy without the broken leg, “Amateur.” The guy chuckles and just goes “You don’t say.” Chris now with the gun pointed at the two of the men shouts “Hey! Shut Up!” 

“Chris calm down, it was a joke.” Elyza says as she gets up. Just to prove her point she brings her boot down on the nose of the guy that insulted Chris. Once the guy is sufficiently disabled with a broken nose after a few, Elyza moves to Chris and gently grasps the gun in his hands and takes it from him. He’s looking at her as if she’s a monster and she notices and sighs, “If you’re going to hit someone Chris. Hit them till they don’t get back up.” 

“Help me tie them up.” Elyza orders Chris as she passes him a length of string. “They took the others already, I hid under the kitchen sink.” Elyza grabs a rag that she stuffs into the mouth of the pissed off man with a broken nose. “Did they hurt them?” Elyza asks, he shakes his head in response. “They just took them out, these guys must have a ship or something. These one were trying to break into the Armory.”

Elyza nods slowly as she slams a magazine into the gun she’d just given Chris. “You gave me an unloaded gun?” He almost shouts at her. “You think I’m letting you handle one of these, mate it would break your arm in every possible way. These even make my arm sore when I shoot. Besides they weren’t getting up.” She flicks her head back to the two men they’d tied together.

“Come on Chris, we have to find the others.” Chris lifts his hand out, in response Elyza grabs a small knife she kept in her boot and drops it in his hand. “You know how to handle the small ones right mate?” Chris glares daggers down at her but she just laughs and starts walking towards the door. 

Before Elyza actually makes it through the door a tall and lanky pale woman charges through with only a can of spray paint for a weapon, Elyza has just enough reaction time to close her eyes as the woman’s surprisingly well aimed spray of paint coats her eyes in black, a straight thick line of paint stretches from temple to temple, some even gets in and soaks her blonde hair.

Once Elyza hears the spray stop she opens her eyes to see the pale woman pulling back for a hook. Elyza moves with lightning speed, dropping down to one knee, she swings her other around and kicks her attacker’s feet from underneath her.

She falls to the ground with a loud grunt of pain, Elyza is on top of her with a gun aimed at her head before she has a chance to even think about getting up.

“I’d stop moving if I were you.” Elyza snarks to the woman’s angry but scared face. Elyza looks down to look at her reflection in the glass floor. The Australian has to admit she likes the look, her eyes are completely covered as is the bridge of her nose. The liquid had started to pour down her cheeks before it had dried. Her blue eyes stood out in the darkness. “You know what Hun, I like your style.”

Elyza flips the woman over and began to tie her up like the others. “Feel free to jump in Chrissy.” Elyza says and the boy comes out of his daze to come finish the job while Elyza moves to the door checking for any more surprises.

The sun bore down the war paint donned warrior as she slowly scoured the deck for any more of these attackers. She sees the smaller boat sitting of the side of the Abigail. They’d managed to attach a plank of some kind, large enough to walk on clearly. When she was certain no one else was on board she moved back into the room. 

The man with the broken leg would be easiest he was in the most pain. Chris came up to her, “What do we do?” She turned to him and simply responded, “We get answers.”  
Elyza brings her boot down hard on the man’s bad leg and he screams into the gag, Elyza removes it from his mouth after he finishes screaming, “How many of you are there mate?” Fresh tears begin to pour down his tanned and unshaven skin. He doesn’t answer her though, “Come on, make this easier on yourself just talk to me.” Chris is standing by the door trying not to pay attention to what Elyza is doing to the crippled man.

Elyza grabs her machete and taps on the visible bone of the man’s blood soaked leg. He moans in pain and anguish. She keeps this up for a few minutes but eventually her plan works and the man with the broken nose shouts through the gag, even with it in she knows he’s saying “Enough.”

“There we go.” Elyza said in an almost sing song tone while she stuffed the gag back into the mouth of the man with the broken leg while taking it out of the other. “There’s only ten of us.” Elyza smiles at the man, “five now.” The man widens his eyes in surprise at this teenager who has somehow taken out half his force. “What weapons do you have? I’m not a fan of getting shot, take it from me it’s not that fun.” He sighs in anguish, not wanting to aggravate the blonde who would keep hurting his friend. “We only have one gun with any bullets, Hannah has it.” “Specs?” “It’s just a glock, there aren’t many bullets left.”

Elyza turns to Chris who is refusing to look at her. When he refuses to acknowledge her she turns back to her prisoner, “Right lastly. Where are Alicia and the others?” Obviously he wouldn’t know where Alicia is but she wants to know anyway. “There below deck, we haven’t hurt them. We were going to leave them when we took your ship.” The last thing was muttered out of the man’s defeated mouth was just a sigh of defeat.

She shoves the gag back into the man’s mouth and makes sure they’re all tightly secured. “Right Chrissy lets go get our mates back yeah?” Chris barely verbalises his agreement. The two of them move through the door.

\--

Alicia woke up with the pain in the back of her head screaming at her for relief, she squeezed her eyes shut to search for some relief. Trying to bring her arms up to grab her head she noticed her hands tied behind her with a zip tie. She could feel the roughness of the rag that was in her mouth, when she tried to spit, it wouldn’t come out. She looked around her, the dark room she was in was full, with all the people from the Abigail. 

She could see her mother sitting across her, Madison’s hands tied behind her back as well. Next to her was Travis and then Nick and the Salazar family. Even Strand was there, somehow still looking calm and settled despite the fear she could see in everyone else’s eyes. Clearly he had more faith in a rescue than the others did.

The only people she couldn’t see were her little step-brother Chris, and her blonde saviour, and now she guesses girlfriend.

She heard voices coming from behind the door. “They’re not back yet where are they?” Alicia could hear a woman shouting. A smaller almost wimpier reply could just be hear by what Alicia assumed to be a subordinate of the woman whom was apparently in charge. “Do you want me to go aboard to find them?” 

Alicia flinched when she heard the crack of skin against skin from behind the door, whatever it was must have stung. “Are you stupid? Really? We’ve lost five and you want to go throw yourself at this? Don’t be fucking stupid!”

Everyone in the room recoiled when the metal door slammed open and a skinny woman in torn clothes with a shaven head stormed into the room. The accent became easily recognised as British. “All right, which one of you pricks is going to tell me what happened to my crew!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. In her right hand was a sledgehammer that Alicia could almost say was oversized. “Get there gags out, all of them.” A sheepish older man ran into the room and came around behind her, quickly removing all of their gags. “Let us go!” was the first thing shouted, or variations of it by everyone in the room except the Salazar’s and Alicia, Daniel having been in this kind of situation and Ofelia still unconscious from whatever made her scream. Alicia knowing what’s coming to save her.

The woman swung her hammer down to land it in the middle of Nick’s legs, quite close to his crotch, the loud sound of metal denting metal brought them all to a silence. “Who are you?” Travis asks of their captor, “What do you want?” Travis instantly stares down the length of a sledgehammer. “What do I want? Gee old boy I don’t really know, I mean I could always go for a beer down the pub. Oh wait I can’t. I guess what I really want, is a nice bed that’s not made of my friend’s bodies!” she screams right into his face.

Travis turns his head away, to avert his gaze from the scary woman, but this doesn’t stop her from continuing. “I want to be able to eat my dinner without the fear of becoming someone else’s! I want to watch the world burn from a safe seat on the ocean! And I want to know whose hurting my crew. Now my name’s Hannah. Are you going to answer my question?” she whispers with a tone that could slice through anything.

Hannah swings around leaving the hammer sitting in front of Alicia’s face. “You didn’t say anything, why love?” Alicia just stares at the woman with all her bravado and cockiness. “I said. Why?” Hannah screams right to Alicia’s face as she swings the hammer to indent itself in the wall next to her head. Alicia cowers away from this woman but doesn’t break eye contact.

“Because you want to watch the world burn, I know someone who can show you that.”

\--

“Ok Chrissy, I need you to just stand here and negotiate with them while I get around the back.” “What?” is the reply Chris almost shouts back before Elyza covers his mouth. “I need you to distract Hannah while I sneak aboard their ship. Can you do that?” She asked, making sure every word was pronounced with harshness.

“What if she just shoots me?” Elyza stood for a few moments trying to think of something, “Broken nose said she didn’t have many bullets so she’s not wasting them on you, if she takes aim say you have someone covering you or something creative, you’ll be fine.” Elyza doubts that cause the poor kid looks like he wants to shit himself but she doesn’t really have a choice in partners.

Elyza ran to the ladder that led up to the roof of Strand’s cabin. From there it was only a metre or two’s drop onto the roof of the yacht’s cabin. On the top was a guy holding a bow and arrow. “Hannah.” She hear Chris shout and the guy’s attention was drawn to Chris.

‘Little Bitch’ swung around in her hand a few times so Elyza could test the weight, it had been a while since Alicia had adopted the metal baseball bat. Elyza backed up to the edge of the roof, and then she ran as hard as she could across the cabin, when she reached the edge there was no hesitation as she launched herself towards the yacht and the guard.

Time seemed to slow down around the blonde as she moved through the air, she could feel the small breeze along the hairs on her arm, her blue eyes drying out from the air speeding towards them. She’d wanted to shout something but had kept silent and now her teeth were crunched together. The guy began to turn his head towards her torpedoing body but it was too late for him to do anything.

Elyza swung the bat mid-air landing it dead on the guy’s face and he went down hard. Elyza had heard the crunch of bone’s breaking inside his head after the metallic clang from the impact of the bat. The body was on the floor even before Elyza landed, rolling through Elyza landed just before she reached the edge. 

\--

Chris was nervous, no more like struggling to hold his bladder, Hannah was exiting the cabin Elyza had just landed on. Her bald head reflected some of the sunlight and she was dragging a heavy looking sledgehammer across the deck. Chris fought himself not to scream out her name as he saw Ofelia being dragged along behind her by a tall guy that looked like he could lift a truck.

Ofelia was struggling but it was doing no good whatsoever. “Where are my people?” Hannah screamed across the gap without any warning. Chris eyes darted to Elyza who motioned for him to start talking, then she motioned that she was going to go inside. “Uh um. Where are mine?” Chris could literally se Elyza roll her eyes at his comeback.  
Hannah didn’t bother wasting anytime as she raised her gun to aim the barrel at her head. Chris raised his own gun to aim at Hannah. “Put it down or,” He started but Hannah finished for him, “Or what?” Chris could feel the back of his shirt start to stick to his sweaty body, he had no idea how to do this. “I’ve got a sniper on your friend there, and guns on the rest of them inside.” He stumbled his way through.

Hannah slowly lowered her gun but her face showed nothing but loathing, and a desire to draw blood. “Hurry Elyza.” 

\--

Once Elyza was inside the yacht she headed down the stairs below deck. Elyza was at the top of a staircase when she saw a guard sitting on a crate at the bottom smoking a cigarette. “Piece of cake.” She whispered to herself before she sat on the banner and began to slide down, “Batter Batter, Swing.” Elyza called out causing the guard to move his head right into Elyza’s target range, a second later he was on the floor uncurious. “6 Runs!” She shouted. “Probably shouldn’t have said it out loud.” She quickly follows with.

A boy who looked no older than 13 or 14 was running towards Elyza with his eyes closed holding a piece of metal that looked rusted to all hell. Elyza knew this kid had no desire to hurt anyone, he just wanted to survive, so she showed the child mercy. Elyza unravelled a piece of string and wrapped it around the hand holding the metal and quickly began wrapping it around the boy’s body, trapping him.

Once the blonde boy was tied he tried crawling towards the wall where he started to cry silently to himself. While she felt sympathy for the boy having to be trapped on board a ship with people like the guy who’d she’d found in her bedroom, Elyza couldn’t afford to waste time with people that weren’t her own.

Elyza started a slow jog through the ship, she came up to a door, before charging she leaned her head up against the door to see if there was any sound. There was complete silence, which was the problem.

“Well this should go well.” Elyza commented to no one in particular. Elyza studied the door to see if there was a way she could open it quietly, “Well, what do you know?” She questioned out loud when she found no way. 

Elyza waited behind where the door would open. Elyza stuck her fingers into her mouth and whistled as loud as she could. A second or so later the door started to open and as soon as it did Elyza kicked it back shut again, right into the tall man who’d started to walk out.

The door to the face didn’t do much to faze him. “Well shit.” Elyza said before the man’s large hook caught her right in the side of her face. Elyza went down to one knee and between the man’s could see her group in ties watching her with fear in their eyes, screaming at her to get up. Elyza couldn’t see Alicia.

\--

Chris was starting to get desperate Hannah wasn’t budging an inch and was scarily close to aiming her gun at his face and letting loose. “Listen I want proof that my family is alive.” He screamed across the gap. “I’m holding one of yours right here, I want proof.” She shouted back. Just great he thought, just before he felt searing and burning pain of a bullet entering his shoulder. He screamed so loud that he was certain Elyza could have heard it. Ofelia groans and screamed through the gag at her friend being shot.

Chris brought his hand up to the wound to feel the blood pouring out of the wound like a river, “Fuck, fuck.” He said as he tried to scamper towards the gun he’d dropped when it happened. When he reached the barrier he sat with his back against it, while he held his hand against the wound which was still pouring. Tears began to stream down his face as he pulled his knees up close to him, he wasn’t ready yet.

\--

Elyza had heard the gunshot and knew she needed to beat this guy, she needed to save Chris, he had been distracted by the shot and took her chance, she dived for the bat and the guy dived after her. Once she grabbed it she ran forward with the guy landing on his stomach behind her.

As soon as he landed Elyza brought the bat down hard on the back of his head. His brown neck length hair slapped against his face with the blood that was now pouring out of the wound. She brought it down again and again, spraying blood all over herself. He stopped grunting after the third hit. She huffed for a few seconds and brought her free hand up to her face where a large cut had formed from his punch. She could feel the adrenaline coursing through her body, her heart was throbbing in her chest, and she felt like throwing up.

Elyza had never killed anyone before.

The bat landed with a metal clank on the ground as she ran into the room where her group was being held. Everyone except Daniel had fear in their eyes, except now it was of her, not because of where they were.

Elyza cut the binds of Daniel and gave him a gun so he could cover her. “Where’s Alicia?” She asked in a raised voice, “The bald one, she took her away, I don’t know where.” “Fuck!” Elyza shouted still stressed out. She gave the knife to Nick who was the next person she freed, “Stay here I’m going to find her.” Nick only nodded and got to work on freeing his mother and her fiancé.

Elyza ran through the door and ran along it for a bit until she found the door. Without a second thought Elyza kicked it off its hinges and barged through right after, it smashed into the wall and stay there, barely staying upright.

Sitting there in the dust is the woman Elyza could not ever bare to lose.

“Alicia” Elyza shouted as she ran to the brunette, slicing off her restraints only to have Alicia’s arms wrapping around her tighter the she’d ever felt before. “Elyza.” Alicia whispers barely keeping her voice from cracking as her tears of thankfulness from running down her face at seeing her saviour.

Alicia looked up through the door Elyza had come and only managed to scream “Elyza!” Before Hannah released the arrow aimed straight for the blonde’s head.


	10. It Goes Round

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elyza stares down death, but it is her actions that hurt her.

The small metal shaft she held in her hand was cold yet lustrous, the tip a mere inch from her blue eye. She let her breath drop for a second before her eyes travelled up the shaft to see her supposed killer. “Not today.” Elyza to Alicia who was staring at her with surprise first then relief written all over her face.

Hannah had moved to arm another arrow but stopped when she felt the barrel of Daniel’s eagle laying flush against her head, the clatter of the wooden bow and metal arrows was loud but, Elyza’s single arrow landing on the pavement of the room, carried so much weight, the weight of a life that was not going to be ended. Not this day.

Elyza began to move towards the now subdued Hannah, walking right up until she was in the bald woman’s personal space. Elyza grabbed the glock and ripped it out of the holster and then shoved it towards Nick who was coming out of the room in front of Strand and the others. “Nicely done, Elyza.” Nick said laying a congratulatory pat on the blonde’s shoulder.

All heads turned when a shot rang out above deck, “You two got this one?” Elyza asked of Nick and Daniel, when they nodded she pulled out her eagle and ran past the tied up boy who was still hugging his legs but was now glaring daggers at the bald woman.

The sunlight was blinding as Elyza stepped out into the sun. She saw that the big man had moved over to the Abigail. She could see his hands wrapped around Chris’s throat and Elyza knew she had to move fast. 

As she vaulted over crates strewn across the ships deck she saw a hand reach up to try and scratch at the man’s face, drawing blood. It seemed to have no effect as the man’s grip didn’t lessen in the slightest. “Hey Prick.” Elyza shouted running up the gang plank towards the two of them. 

The man turned just quickly enough to glimpse Elyza leaping of the barrier of the Abigail to land a spinning kick right across his temple. Elyza rolled through her landing expecting to hear the thud of a body falling behind her, it didn’t come. Her head whipped around to see that the man was still standing. Groggy but still standing.

Elyza launched forward to try and land another kick this time to his knee. She was unsuccessful when she received a boot to the face, a desperation move on his part but it knocked the wind out of her nonetheless. Elyza scampered away from the man searching for a reprieve to catch her breath. Through the man’s legs she caught a glance at a nearly unconscious Chris who was sporting a black eye already with bruising around his mouth.

Elyza stood but immediately grabbed for a handhold and found one in the wall. The man was still unsure on his feet but was slowly shuffling his way towards Elyza across the wooden deck. “Hey mate, what say I give you a twenty and you give up, save you an ass kicking, how bout it?” Elyza asks when the air returns to her lungs, quickly following with a laugh trying to hide how much she knew this would be a tough fight.

At his full height the man had a good foot and a half on Elyza, she had to use it to her advantage otherwise he’d crush her. The man cracked his knuckles and sneered at Elyza through chapped lips with broken yellow teeth. “Come here little girl, I’ll show you what a real man can do.” 

Elyza pulls her machetes from out of their holsters and brandishes them towards the man who just smiles wider, clearly liking the idea of a challenge. “Bring it!” Elyza shouted at him as she began to charge.

She swung first with her left then her right, the man still agile enough to dodge both blows. When Elyza goes for a third swing however the man is quick enough to catch her hand and throw her completely over his body, his grip on the weapon forces Elyza to release hers lest he pick her up again. 

With only one machete Elyza goes for her eagle, but her hand comes back empty, remembering that she gave her two eagles to Chris and Daniel, and one of her other pistols to Nick. She reaches for her last pistol only to see that it too is missing. 

“Looking for something.” He says with a cocky tone as he lifts the gun and swirls it around his finger. “Now lay down and die.” He says as he takes aim at her. There is nowhere to hide. Elyza rushes him, it’s her last chance, he fires a shot and it lands in thigh, and she falls to the deck hard.

He approaches her and lifts the gun to aim at her head, “No more games.” He says, smile gone and nothing but cruelty remains. “You know...” Elyza starts just before he pulls the trigger. “I guess the stereotype is true, big guys fall easiest.” She says leaving the guy to just look at her quizzically. Elyza spins herself round in the blink of an eye and has kicks the back of his knees, knocking him on his back with a loud crunch as the wood bellow him complains.

Elyza drags herself over to place her good knee on his chest and a blade at his throat. “Now shut up.” Elyza says as the handle of her machete comes down hard on his temple, leaving him unconscious.

Elyza fell back onto the deck huffing as her hand reaches to try and put pressure on the bullet hole. “Motherfucker.” Elyza says as she rips of some of her shirt and begins to tightly wrap it around her leg. Once the fabric was tied in a strong knot Elyza reached towards the wall and began to pull herself up.

She limped towards Chris, he was knocked out and had lost a lot of blood, and she couldn’t carry him on her bad leg. “Nick, Travis!” I need some help. The two men were by her side very soon and were carrying the man’s son inside to the armoury which had also become their temporary sickbay. “You need to come to Elyza.” The two were saying but she waved them off. “Him first I have to get someone.”

Elyza began moving down the bridge towards the other ship. Ofelia was being helped by Madison. Fear and uncertainty were written all over the blonde mother’s face, just as a Deadman’s blood were covering Elyza’s. Before Elyza could contemplate however she had the brunette’s arms wrapped tightly around her neck and luscious lips pressed to her own.

While Elyza loved having the brunette laying them on her, she couldn’t help but moan as some of Alicia’s weight moved to her own leg. “Where’s Daniel.” She asked once Alicia had loosened her grip. “He’s watching the crazy hammer girl.” Alicia said. “I need you to go help the others. Please.” At the look of protest on the brunette’s face Elyza quickly added “I’ll be there soon, I promise.” Elyza had her hand rested just above her wound which Alicia was staring at with worry. “You better.” She kissed Elyza quickly on the lips then moved past her.

Elyza walked down the stairs to see Daniel standing guard over the three prisoners, Hannah, the unconscious man and the little boy. “What should we do?” Elyza asked of Daniel. She knew he would have the most strategic and therefore safest plan for what to do with the group that attacked them. “Normally I would say leave them in the ocean, but I doubt the rest of the group would be very happy with that.”

Elyza had expected that from the ex-military Salvadoran man. “I want the boy to come with us.” Elyza said as she brought Daniel over to where the other crew couldn’t hear them. “What?” Daniel hushed back with confusion in his tone. “Why the hell would we bring him with us?” Elyza couldn’t explain it but the boy shouldn’t stay here, not with these people, Elyza had always had a soft spot for children. “He could be useful, he doesn’t deserve to stay her with these barbarians. Please Daniel. These people would gladly leave him to die if it meant they could survive.”

“And in this world they would be right to do so. It is survival of the fittest out here Elyza.” He was back her into a corner and Elyza couldn’t think of anything but to plead with the man. “Daniel give him a chance to become one of the fittest. Imagine how useful he could be to our group. He’s small and agile, light on his feet.” Daniel sighed, “You know it’s not my decision Elyza, its Strand’s boat. But I do agree he could be useful once he’d learnt to trust us and us him. But remember, whatever it takes I will keep Ofelia safe,” he paused “From anyone.”

“And I would for Alicia.” He nodded solemnly before his eyes drifted to the corpse on the floor. “I know.”

\--

Travis had just laid Chris down on the dining room table thanks to help from Strand. He was still unconscious and Travis knew now was the best time to try and get the bullet out. The only problem was that none of them knew how.

Elyza shoved past him uttering a near silent “sorry”, behind her was Daniel carrying a very resistant boy who was tied up. “Put him in one of the rooms and start putting the others back on their boat.” Strand is just staring at the blonde with shock and awe. “And what do you think you’re doing letting him stay aboard Miss Lex?” Elyza could hear the accusation a mile off but she didn’t have time for Strand’s bullshit right now.

“I’m saving a life!” She shouts in his face. “And if you don’t like then I’d like to see you try ad kick him off.” Strand tenses his shoulders and looks the woman over, he sees her grip wrapped strong around a machete she’s using to support herself but he doesn’t once think she wouldn’t use it on him.

“There’s a good man. Now once they’re all back aboard their ship, get us as far from the boat as we can, as fast as we can, continue the course for San Francisco.” Strand still glares but Elyza honestly couldn’t give a shit how he was feeling.

The still unconscious body of the fat man who enjoyed sniffing things that weren’t his to sniff was the last to be dragged of the ship and dropped flat onto the other ship’s deck.   
They could still hear Hannah’s screams of anger and rage all the way from where they’d left her tied up, Elyza was not often one to admit fear but that woman put her on edge more than anyone else in the world ever had. And she was glad to turn and run.

“Right Sweetcheeks, I need you to get the medical supplies from the armoury.” Elyza says after Alicia has relaxed into the blonde’s strong arms for a couple of seconds. Elyza turned to Chris’s body that was lying on the table, he’d lost a lot of blood and Elyza needed to work quickly to get the bullet out. 

Alicia quickly returned hauling bags of medical supplies that Elyza had salvaged during her time alone.

Elyza grabbed the last pair of tweezers from the bag and wiped them over with a wiped to make sure there were no germs, then she turned to the now shirtless boy, “He might wake, hold him down.” She said to Strand, Travis, Alicia and Nick who were helping. As soon as Elyza placed the cold metal against the boy’s wound he jumped awake.

The others pushed down on his limbs but he was still shaking. “Keep him still!” She shouted, when they couldn’t she grabbed Chris’s head in her hands, wincing in pain as her own wound stung, “Chris look at me, I need you stay still, otherwise I could puncture an artery and you’d bleed to death in minutes. It’s gonna hurt and I’m sorry but I can’t do anything.” Chris was scared, he’d had surgery before but that had had anaesthesia, he lay back down and began to snivel as the tweezers moved back to the bullet hole. Elyza dipped the tweezers into the wound and Chris released a blood curdling scream in pain. Elyza grabbed a sock and shoved it into his mouth, “Bite. Now!”

Elyza had to dig around in the boy’s shoulder before she found the bullet, with a tight grip she began to gently pull it out being careful not hit anything she didn’t want to. “Huh a .22, that would of hurt. Nicely done Chrissy.” Elyza said patting the by on the arm only to be responded with groans. “Now for the stiches.” Chris’s head jerked up at the words, 

“What?”

“Would you prefer to walk around with a hole in your shoulder that would get infected in a day and die? No? Then lie down,” Elyza could see the grin on Alicia’s face out of the corer of her eye. “Please.” Elyza said with a tone full of cockiness.

Chris groaned as the first needle began to pierce his skin as Elyza began to drag the needle and string in and out of his skin for the next few minutes before she cut the end. “All done, you did well for a big boy.” Elyza snarked, her words screamed nothing but condescension, and all it earned her from Chris was a snort as he moved past her and a chuckle from Alicia who didn’t even try to hide it. “Your welcome!” Elyza shouted to the boy’s retreating form.

“Now my turn.” The blonde surgeon said as she started to pull her pants off in front of everyone present. The two men taking their cue and leaving. Travis to go be with his wife who had decided she didn’t need to be present, and Strand off to spend some quality time with his ship.

“At least it wasn’t this one.” Elyza joked as she patted her leg with the portrait of her old but loved dog inked into her skin. “You taking to getting shot rather well.” Alicia said as she knelt in front of Elyza’s sitting form while holding tightly onto her hand. “I was impaled by a piece of metal during the crash, nothing major but, it was inside my leg for a while before the doctors could get it out.” Elyza said as she turned her lower calf to show Alicia a horrific looking large scar that travelled up most of the blonde’s calf.

Alicia couldn’t help the small gasp as what she saw, she let a small tear form in her eye at the thought of her blonde suffering the tiniest bit. “Hey Lysh its fine. I’m better now.” Alicia is standing in front of the blonde and moves to hug her, “But you weren’t then and you had no one to care for you.” Elyza sniffles a tiny bit and burrows her head into the crook of Alicia’s neck, her favourite place, “I do now.”

A single lonely tear falls down her blood stained face as she remembers another time when she had been covered in someone else’s blood. It had been cold and stormy, the shock had left her with no feeling, no clasp on reality, she had wanted to float away in the wind. But she’d found her weight, and she was going to do everything she could to not let the wind drag her away from her home.

“Now better get this done with.” Elyza says as she sniffs and wipes away the tear. Alicia always loves how Elyza tries to act tough, she is so happy with the fact that the blonde feels secure enough to allow herself to let her guard down around the brunette. 

Once the metal tweezers are washed and scrubbed down to make sure there’s none of Chris’s blood left on them Elyza grabs a lighter and holds the tweezers above the flame. 

“This is gonna be fun.” 

“Don’t we…” 

“Nope.” 

Once Elyza was satisfied that the metal was hot enough to be considered sanitary she lowers them to her wound, Alicia is holding open with one hand while the other is being used by Elyza as a grip. And the blonde has a strong grip, but if it would help her Alicia was willing.

Elyza was focussed determined to not let the pain of the wound and the heat entering it distract her from extracting the bullet. Alicia had offered the blonde her soft and slim hand and Elyza had taken it without a second thought, she had been worried that the brunette would turn her head while the blonde played operation on herself. Elyza couldn’t   
have been happier that it was the other way round.

After a few seconds of sizzling flesh filling their noses and ears Elyza, who’d begun to slightly sweat at the brow, softly speaks without breaking eye contact with the wall she’d been staring at the entire time. “I’ve got it.” She begins to pull but quickly stops, “It’s stuck.” Elyza tries to wiggle it around and a few seconds Alicia leans down to kiss the blonde to try and distract her.

It works as once she pulls herself away from the slightly chapped yet so delicious lips of the blonde Alicia can see the tweezers next to the blonde’s victorious face. Alicia grabs a towel and begins to dab it lightly across the Australian’s forehead, getting rid of some of the sweat.

“Now it’s just the stitches, thank you for helping me Alicia.” Alicia only nods and it’s all she needs to do. Elyza grabs the needle and begins to sow through her skin, closing the wound where the bullet had been.

Elyza wraps her hand around the brunette’s shoulder as Alicia helps Elyza down the stairs to their bedroom.

\--

Chris had gone to his shared room with Nick to rest after the blonde had performed surgery on him. While he couldn’t deny that the blonde had undoubtedly saved his life he was still bitter about it. She wouldn’t have had to save his life if she’d done her job properly and not get caught, he thought to himself. He didn’t actually know what happened but he guessed that the Australian was somehow to blame.

“Chris?” he hears someone ask from the door. He turns his head to see someone he hadn’t expected. “Madison.” He says curtly but not invitingly, still holding a childish grudge against the woman who’d stolen his father from his now dead mother. “Can I help you with something?” Not bothering to try and hide the coolness in his tone.

“Elyza.” Chris perks at the tone in Madison’s, he can’t place it but it seems as if she is on the verge of anger for something. “What about her?” Chris doesn’t hide his dislike for the blonde.

“I don’t trust her. I watched her murder a man in cold blood and continue on as if nothing happened.” Madison confesses, it had been welling up inside her and she knew Chris was the only one who had doubts about the blonde’s intentions. “I watched her torture a man just so his friend would give up information.”

“What!” Madison exclaims at the revelation that the woman her daughter spent so much time with tortured someone. “How?” She demanded, “Elyza toyed with his leg, she’d broken it while saving me, the bone had come out of the skin. But she wasn’t trying to make him talk. She never even took his gag out.”

“Then why would she do it?” Madison was starting to despair, her daughter was sharing a bed with a nutcase. “Because it made the other guy talk, he couldn’t watch his fried suffer.” He stopped to catch his breath but she could tell the young boy wasn’t finished yet. “Madison. That girl looked through him like he was just a toy, her plaything, she didn’t care what happened, and she only cared about what she wanted to know.”

“She tortured a man just so someone else would talk.” Madison summarised to Chris who nodded.

“Saved our lives because of it. Again might I add.” The blonde mother and the teenager both spun around to see Nick leaning against the metal door frame. “And you’re ok with that Nick!” Madison shouted back at him not caring anymore who was listening. 

“You can live with the fact that she mutilated a man just so she could break down another, that’s psychotic Nick!” Nick just smiles and chuckles. “If I can live with Daniel tearing up an innocent man, then I can live with Elyza punishing a guilty one, or ones I guess.” He said the last bit more to himself then the two people in the room.

Tension filled the room as Madison’s rage grew with her son, Chris’s annoyance with his would be step brother was also rising, who was Nick to call him a hypocrite. “That wasn’t the same Nick!” he shouted. “How?” Nick asked back in a calm and focussed tone. But his question left the two trumped. “Hm, anyone, nothing? Oh right it’s not my bad, stupid question. It is exactly the same.” Nick lets his hands do the talking as he tears into the hypocrisy the other two are intent on marinating.

“It’s different because she’s close to Alicia!” Nick just click’s his tongue and points to Madison. “There it is. Ten points for the hypocrite in the front row. Give it up ladies and gentlemen.” Madison gets up and her hand is winding back before she can stop herself, but not before Nick whose happened to be on the receiving end recognises. Just as her open hand is about to connect with his face he lifts his arm and catches her hand in his. “Not this time mom.”

Tears begin to fall down Madison’s dry skin as she realises it, “I don’t trust her because she loves my daughter.” She sinks to her knees in front of Nick and holds her hands in her lap, staring at them blankly having finally come to the realisation. Nick kneels down in front of her like she’d had to do so many times when he’d OD’d, it was his turn to help her.  
His hand grasped her with love and understanding, Nick knew that his mother only had Alicia’s best interest at heart, but she needed this, she needed to be made to understand. “I just want her to be safe.” The blonde mother manages to get out with sniffles. “Then stop pushing at her best chance for it. Elyza is the best thing that could have happened for Alicia, you just don’t realise it yet.” Nick says softly.

Chris has observed this whole exchange but it hadn’t changed his mind, “She’s just a nut that enjoys hurting and killing people Nick.” Nick has no patience for Chris’s childish antics, “Then why are you still here Chris?”

“She saved your life, you would have bled out on that table if not for her. Show some fucking gratitude.” Nick mutters still not even paying Chris the decency of looking at him. Madison just stands and leaves the room, falling into Travis’s arms. The stoic man had appeared when he’d heard shouting in the boy’s room. Travis led her off to their room but not before telling Chris that they’d be having words real soon.

The room was empty now but for the two teenagers who were both tired and worn out from the day’s experience, and Chris was especially tired from all the blood he’d lost, a little more and he would have had to have Travis give him some blood.

Nick slammed down hard on his single bed, hoping he’d gotten through to at least one of the people who hated one of the best people he’d ever met in his entire life. A woman who I the old world would have been absolutely over the moon to call his sister-in-law. Elyza would keep Alicia safe at any cost, and he was truly glad that the woman he cared for most in the world had found someone like that.

\--

Alicia could hear the shouting from upstairs, she could hear the woman who was supposed to love her scream at her brother about how Elyza was dangerous. However when Alicia looked at the beautiful blonde cradled gently in her arms, Alicia could truly not understand where her mother was coming from.

She thought that Elyza had been sleeping but apparently not. “She’s right you know.” Alicia was quick to caringly shush her blonde, “Just rest babe, she’s wrong, I know you.” Elyza just sniffs, “No you don’t Alicia. I played with that man as if he was just a toy.” Alicia was shocked to hear the blonde’s confession but before she could say anything the blonde continued. “I hurt him, I didn’t even do it to make him talk. I couldn’t stop myself, I needed to get you back.” Elyza separated herself from Alicia, and moves to sit on the edge of the bed.

Alicia doesn’t know how to respond to what the blonde is saying, she knew that Elyza’s father had been a military man and that he’d trained her a little. “I killed a man Alicia.” The brunette is shocked to her very core at Elyza’s words. “I slammed the bat down on his head again and again without even thinking. I held his life in my hands and I crushed it.” Elyza’s hands had mimicked her words by demonstrating holding something and then smashing her hands together.

“Your mother’s right. I’m too dangerous to be around you.” Elyza gets up and goes into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Alicia sits on the bed not moving, trying to comprehend what the blonde had said. She’d murdered someone to save her. The brunette had no idea how to feel about that. Should   
she be grateful, disgusted, scared?

Alicia thought she’d known the blonde, she had never thought her willing to take a life. 

The worst thing though was that the blonde had done it for her. Elyza had killed someone, provided they weren’t exactly the most innocent group. Alicia had only known Elyza for   
at most a week, and in that time she’d fallen so hard so fast. She thought she’d finally found someone she could feel comfortable around again after Matt.

\--

Elyza sat on the shower floor with her head in her hands. “You went and did it didn’t you?” She mocks herself, “You screwed the best thing that ever happened. She could have loved you and you threw it all away.” Elyza watches her tears fall to the plastic tiled floor of the large shower. 

Elyza had truly thought that she’d found a place where she could be happy, a group that would accept her, people she could call friends, even family one day. She though that in this ruined world where the dead walked that she had found happiness. “And you threw it all away.” 

Elyza knows comes to the conclusion that she can’t stay here anymore, have to see these people every day, see the looks of disgust on their faces, on Alicia’s face. She couldn’t live with the constant reminder that she’d failed. She’d lost everything she could have had. Again.

\--

Alicia sat on the soft bed looking out the window on a setting sun, she studied the waves as they brushed up against the hull of the ship. For what felt like ages she sat trying to come to a conclusion to her question. How did she feel about the blonde who’d closed herself into the bathroom?

The sun began to move below the horizon and dark purples and vibrant reds began to paint the sky over the ship. And still she contemplated, She could say without hesitation that she had never been happier the when she was in Elyza’s embrace, or even her presence. But the same argument kept coming back up, how could she trust her after this. How could she trust this woman who so quickly could hurt people without a second thought?

Elyza was similar to Daniel she realised. The Salvadoran man was ready and willing to do absolutely anything that was necessary for his daughter to be safe. He would gladly throw himself to a horde if it meant Ofelia would see even just one more day on this wretched earth. He would gladly do it without a second thought because he loved her.

Alicia gasped as she brought her hand to her mouth. Alicia finally realised how the blonde had been able to do what she did. Alicia still covering her mouth began to cry. Elyza cared for her, Elyza was willing to corrupt herself, to kill and torture just to save her. Elyza loved Alicia.

\--  
After what felt like hours Elyza had managed to fall asleep inside the decently sized shower that she was calling her bed. She rested her head on her arm as she slept, her nightmares returned to her. Of all the family she’d lost, her parents, her adoptive parents, her aunt, they were all there ripping into her flesh as walkers. Though now it was so much worse through the blood spraying everywhere she could see Alicia, standing at a distance wearing her plaid shirts, her short shorts and her Adidas jacket.

Elyza tried, she screamed to her “Alicia run!” but the brunette did not move and it was now that Elyza realised that Alicia wasn’t merely seeing but rather spectating the blonde being ripped apart. Elyza understood, and just accepted her punishment. She had killed and now she would suffer the consequences of her actions.

In her dream the blonde resigned herself to her fate as a walker feast, she screamed and wailed at the pain but she stopped trying to fight them. Elyza felt every bite and scratch as her dead family tore her limb from limb.

\--

Alicia knew what she was doing when she opened the bathroom door. But what she saw inside reminded her of why the blonde needed her. The blonde was shaking and moaning on the floor. She was asleep and twitching nonstop. Alicia had never seen it happen but she knew why. The blonde had briefly mentioned having bad dreams once this shitstorm had started.

The blonde started to cry in, Alicia couldn’t stand to watch this, not to Elyza, after everything the Australian had gone through she didn’t deserved to suffer nightmares every night.

Alicia knelt down next to the shaking body, the brunette began to gently stroke the blonde head. The blonde began to calm down in her sleep at Alicia’s gently caress. “Elyza” Alicia shook her gently, the blonde shot awake climbing up the wall behind her and bringing her legs in close to her. “You shouldn’t be hear Alicia.”

There was nowhere the blonde would rather have Alicia then close to her but, now Elyza could only see herself as a killer, as someone Alicia should run from not to.  
Alicia reached out her hand to try and continue stroking the blonde but before she could reach her head the blonde stopped her, “Please, Alicia I’m not good, don’t help me, you’ll just break as well.”

“No Elyza, I’m going to fix you.” Alicia said as she reached her head forward and connected her lips to the blonde who hesitated before returning the warm and loving kiss. As Alicia pulled back she saw Elyza’s eyes closed with bliss. “Elyza, I understand.” Elyza lowers head to avoid eye contact with Alicia.

“I forgive you.” Elyza snaps her head back up to stare at the brunette with confusion written all over her face. “I understand why Elyza, I understand how you did it. Just like I understand how Daniel could do it.” Elyza doesn’t interrupt Alicia, but rather waits to let her finish. “Elyza, please. I would never think to hurt you, I know you wouldn’t either.”

“I love you too Elyza.”


	11. How to Forgive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where Alicia shows Elyza her appreciation for how much the blonde is willing to do for her.
> 
> Honestly this is just fluffy smut. Enjoy!!! :) :)

Elyza didn’t care to try and stop the tears that had slowly started to pour from her eyes, Elyza dove back in to crush her lips against Alicia who kissed back just as hard.  
They’d both have bruises after this, but they didn’t care. Elyza realised that she was safe, she was accepted, she was loved. And now she had so much love to give.

They got up together, stumbling a little as neither was willing to stop the deep kiss. They were both moaning in pleasure as Elyza cupped the other woman’s head in hands and simply revelled in the sweet contact.

“I love you Alicia.” 

With their forehead pressed together, maintain their closeness to each other, the younger brunette just smirks with pure joy, “I know.”

Elyza flicks the light switch next to the door, the room illuminates itself fiercely, allowing them to see each other. They weren’t in the best states. Elyza was splattered with blood and dirt, and Alicia had dust and wood chips sprinkle over herself. Elyza reached back in to the shower and flicked the water onto a warm and soothing temperature. She knew she was about to have the best shower she’d ever experienced in her entire life. She was almost giddy. As the water splashed down onto the tiles the two began to awkwardly look at each other. They knew what came next but were unsure as to how to proceed. They’d undressed in front of each other before but this was new for them, they’d never undressed the other. 

Elyza pushed her lips against Alicia’s deciding that she should take the lead. Her arms lifted up to the collar of Alicia’s sports jacket, Elyza pulled her lips away from Alicia’s. The brunette had a look of pure ecstasy all over her face, “May I?” Elyza softly asks of her as she gestures to her hands. Alicia couldn’t explain it but she felt so happy and cared for when Elyza made sure to ask if she could remove the jacket. She didn’t think anyone could be so considerate, and she was so understanding when the she was turned on by the blonde’s show of respect and care for her wishes. The jacket slowly slides down her smooth arms, Elyza making sure to let her fingers feel the gentle texture as she drags the jacket down. It lands on the cold floor.

Alicia stood in just her white tank top and shorts, her hair fell down her back in curls. Elyza pushed the brunette’s arms to her side and reached in to kiss Alicia on the hickey that she’d been working on earlier that morning. She was trying so hard to be so gentle, as if her dream would shatter around her, like she had been convinced it already had after what she’d done. She began to move her lips slowly across Alicia’s exposed shoulder. Never letting the warm skin leave her lip’s touch.

Alicia stood there feeling every ounce of love that Elyza was trying to show, it made her want to cry how much the blonde loved her and would sacrifice anything just for her happiness. 

Elyza is still kissing Alicia’s shoulder when Alicia reaches down to cup her face ever so delicately in her soft yet firm grasp. She pulls Elyza up to meet her lips again. Once Elyza’s lips are sealed against hers and the brunette’s certain they won’t be moving anywhere soon she reaches her hands and starts to slightly raise Elyza’s shirt at the waist. Elyza flinched a tiny bit as Alicia started to run her fingers across the muscled stomach of the blonde. “Shh.” Alicia quietly calms the blonde as she continues her delicate ministrations. Barely touching her but with enough force behind to feel the skin move beneath her fingertips. Alicia found Elyza’s belly button and chuckled a tiny bit when Elyza jumped back. Not quick enough as Alicia bushed her finger inside, “What are you doing babe?” Elyza asked confused at the girl’s obsession with her belly button.

“Exploring.” Alicia quirked back before she moved her hands around to the blonde’s ribs, leaving them resting lightly just above the skin. Alicia lowered her right hand and began to gently rake her fingertips, much to the blonde’s discomfort as Alicia soon discovered that the Australian badass zombie slayer, the woman that jumped off of a building to save random people, the woman who saved her, was ticklish. “Oh, I’m gonna enjoy this.” 

Alicia doesn’t think that she’s ever seen the blonde more worried about something. Alicia can feel the blonde tense underneath her touch, preparing for the onslaught but Alicia decides that for now she’ll be merciful.

“But not right now.”

The blonde lets her shoulders drop as Alicia grips the shirt and begins to lift it up, revealing the blonde’s beautifully sculpted body to her appreciative gaze. The tattoo of the earth was revealed and Alicia began to trace the globe as she’d been doing previously. But now with proper intention. “I always wanted to see the earth from another perspective.” Elyza utters quietly, “I never much liked it from where I was.” It isn’t said but Alicia could relate to how much the blonde had wanted to escape after losing people she loved. “It’s beautiful, Elyza.” Alicia is amazed by how contrasting the pale skin of the blonde is with the vibrant colours painted across her ribs.

Alicia, while still appreciating the blonde’s skin with her hands, lets her eyes travel up the landscape of the Australian’s body. Her eyes are eventually drawn to the swells on Elyza’s chest. She studies how her breasts rise and fall with her breath. Elyza can clearly see what has Alicia’s attention so aptly captured. “Here” Elyza breathes, she raises Alicia’s hand to lightly cup her breasts. “Hold on.” Her arm reaches back to undo her bra strap but Alicia grabs it. “Can I?” Alicia wants nothing more than to be the one to reveal the blonde’s body to her, she has no desire to have that opportunity taken away.

The blonde moves till she is pushed into Alicia’s body, giving her as much access as she needs. After a few seconds Alicia lets out a nervous laugh, “I’ve never been on this side of it before.” “Take your time, Lysh, it’s what we have most of now. And I am not going anywhere.” Alicia may have understood Elyza to mean right that moment but what Elyza said, she understood it to be a promise, a pledge, and a vow. After a few more seconds of Alicia fiddling around she finally manages to unclasp the bra. She breathes out a sigh of relief and feels Elyza’s breast’s pushed up against her own chest. It’s a beautiful feeling, she thinks.  
Elyza steps back and allows the onyx black lace bra to fall down her arms. It falls to the floor with barely a sound as Alicia gulps at the beauty that had been unveiled to her.  
The two girls stand there for a few seconds, the blonde in just her underwear, having never put her pants back on after her makeshift leg surgery, Alicia in just a tank top and jeans shorts. Alicia just stood her mouth almost agape as she took in the blonde’s form, and Elyza giving her all the time she wanted to do that.

Elyza stretched her arm out and grasped Alicia’s hand and raised it. Tentatively Alicia grasps the firm and perky breast in her hand. It is slightly large then her hand and Alicia can’t help but think that they’re absolutely perfect. Alicia isn’t used to touching someone’s body but shyly begins to caress and rubs the blonde, earning an appreciative moan in response.

Alicia’s other hand soon joins her first on the other breast. “You’re beautiful.” She whispers to the blonde as she pulls her closer. “I, uh. I want to see you.” Elyza says to Alicia. “Not yet honey, I’m not done.” Alicia says as she lowers her face down to as she confidently locks her lips around the hard nipple, Elyza shudders as her sensitivity is exercised by the brunette.

While the hard nipple is inside her mouth, Alicia begins to experimentally flick her tongue over the top of it. Elyza jumps as a result. Alicia looks up at her exasperated face as she smiles. To push it a little more Alicia brought her teeth down to gently lock the nipple, she opened her lips to smile as big as she can. “Elyza can see that the brunette is pushing her boundaries.

At this point Elyza would gladly let the brunette do whatever she wanted to her body, if it meant she could start to return the favour. “Please.” Elyza moaned to the teenager that held her in her grasp. Without releasing the nipple in her mouth, Alicia grabbed Elyza’s arms that sat at her side and placed her hands underneath her tank top. Letting the blonde feel her way around her body.

Elyza’s heart was racing at being allowed to touch her perfection. She couldn’t believe it. Elyza had felt a connection to Alicia the moment she’d seen her but now, she had no words to describe how she felt. She had the feeling heaven was a good place to start.

“Let me savour this. Please.” Elyza said through rasped breaths. Alicia finally cut short her sweet, erotic torture of Elyza’s perfect breasts and allowed the blonde to pull the tank top up. Elyza did nothing but gasp when Alicia’s bare chest was revealed, apparently the brunette hadn’t bothered to wear a bra when Ofelia had screamed. “You’re beautiful.” 

Elyza was truly amazed by the brunette’s beauty.

Elyza got on her knees in front of the brunette, her knees resting on the sports jacket. Elyza began to place small and chaste kisses all over Alicia’s stomach. Alicia hears the small smacks as Elyza lips separated from her somewhat tanned skin made her feel wet during her thighs, the blonde was so close yet Alicia doubted that Elyza had any intention of going lower just yet. Well she may as well take everything that’s on offer.

Alicia grabs one of the blonde’s hands that’s roaming the teenager’s back and began to gently drag it around until the palm was resting gently against a very perky and very hard nipple. Elyza knew what to do from there, and without taking her focus away from her current task of lavishing Alicia’s body, she began to caress and massage Alicia’s breast. Her fingers gently pinching and tugging at the little pebble on top.

“Lyz” Alicia groans out, “Please…” Alicia had teased her too much and now Elyza was going to return the favour. Elyza begins to lick her way up the middle of Alicia’s breasts, leaving a sticky trail in her wake, “Please what?” Elyza says as she stands up and drags her tongue up Alicia’s neck to rest just below her ear lobe, which soon gets sucked into Elyza’s warm wet mouth.

“My turn.” Elyza says as she moves away from the breathtaking brunette and moves towards the shower. “You mind?” Elyza asks the unfocussed brunette as she shakes her ass towards her, the blonde has her thumbs hooked into the elastic of her boyshorts. Alicia with a dry mouth and slightly sweaty palms jumped forward as if she’d been pinched and lowered herself in front of the blonde’s ass. When she reached up with her hands she felt the silky lace material of the underwear, the same as the bra, it was a lot softer then she had been expecting the fabric to be.

Alicia began to drag the garment down the blonde’s thighs and past her sculpted calves, her mouth wasn’t getting any drier. Once the underwear were round her ankles Alicia leaned forward but before she could connect Elyza stepped forward into the shower, “Coming?” Elyza asked as she turned the handle letting cold water fall in front of her. Alicia followed her in without a second thought, she walked through the ice cold water as if it wasn’t even there. Once she got through she placed her hands on the blonde’s supple hips and pushed back into the black tile wall, she crushed her lips against the blondes, she could feel hard nipples scrapping into her skin as she was sure Elyza could feel as well.

The two girls just moaned into each other for a few minutes before Alicia decided she wanted more. She began to lower herself down towards Elyza’s core, she made sure to leave plenty of kisses along the blonde’s maintained abdomen. Elyza had a little patch of blonde hair sitting just above her centre and Alicia made sure to pay it special attention with her lips. Before moving lower Elyza looked up to see the blissed out expression written over Elyza, whose eyes were lidded with lust and hunger.

“Elyza, May I?” Alicia decided that she would only go as far as the blonde wanted, she would have stopped if the blonde had wanted, she was just happy that Elyza began to rapidly shake her head in response to the question. “Please Alicia, love me.” Alicia didn’t hesitate when she began to lightly nip at the blonde’s thighs, leaving marks of love behind. She switched between thighs until she was mere inches away from Elyza’s sex, even with the water flowing down there bodies, she could see the liquid arousal pouring out of the girl. Not to mention how amazing she smelt. 

Alicia’s last wall of restraint broke as she dove tongue first into the blonde’s pussy. Not looking back. Her tongue began to make its journey inside, passing through the large beautiful lips and brushing against the inside walls of her love. Alicia could feel Elyza’s shuddering above her uncontrollably, she couldn’t imagine how much Elyza must be enjoying the view of the brunette’s face buried in her crotch.

Elyza’s knees began to shake and try as she might to stay standing, Alicia could clearly see that the girl needed to lie down. Without separating herself from Elyza, she began to slide herself back across the shower floor, ending right under the centre of the shower stream, which by now was the perfect warmth, though Alicia could swear that their bodies would be hotter. Alicia kept her grip on the blonde’s firm and muscular ass while she gently brought the blonde down to sit in front of her with her legs spread as wide as they could possibly be.

Alicia retracted herself while sucking one of the blonde’s outer lips into her mouth and brushing it with her tongue. Storm blue eyes that were framed with black spray paint stared down at forest green one’s with complete and utter adoration, the brunette decided that the blonde deserved a reward for those stunning eyes, not to mention how badass her blonde looked with her war paint decorating her. She lay herself flat down on the floor of the shower, she began to drag her tongue so very slowly up the entire length of Elyza’s slit, slowly torturing her until she reached the blonde’s budding clit. “You ready babe?” Alicia asked, in response Elyza grabbed the hand resting on her thigh with an iron man grip.

“Oh yeah you’re ready.”

Alicia brought her other hand down next to her mouth and slowly inserted one finger into the tight but flooding opening of Elyza’s slit. Gently, she pushed it further and further in before she had reached her knuckle, the blonde moaned almost louder than the shower at that point.

It was rather easy to curl her finger towards the special spot inside of Elyza, and once Alicia found it she went to town. Her mouth was locked around the blonde’s clit, the double please of being fingered as well as eaten out by an amateur with the skills of a god was more the enough to quickly bring the blonde to her precipice, but not yet. “Look at me please, let me see your beautiful eyes.” She moaned out. Alicia had no idea how the blonde was preventing herself from orgasming but at this point Alicia was willing to do anything for her.

Alicia locked lust filled gazes with her blonde, war paint dripping down her face, and as soon as that happened Elyza screamed out, “Alicia!” before she felt the blonde tightening around her finger and her budding clit pulse in her mouth, it was a few seconds later that Alicia began to feel a warm liquid flow down her chin.

Elyza’s chest was huffing as if she’d just run a marathon, Alicia was staring at the rising and falling breasts and didn’t think to stop herself before she latched onto one of them with her mouth and her fingers the other.

The steam had started to rise from the hot water that was falling down the skin of the two women as Alicia began to bring her blonde slowly down from her climax. “Just. Just, fuck.” Elyza managed to moan out after a few moment. She looked down at the brunette sucking gently on her nipple, “I thought you said you’d never been with a girl.” Letting the nipple fall out of her mouth, Alicia began to slowly withdraw her finger from the blonde’s depths, causing said blonde to squeeze her eyes shut and moan at the pleasure and sensitivity.

“Fuck I love you.” Elyza whispered as she brought her hand up to cup the brunette’s face and pull her down into a heated kiss, after a few seconds of pushing her tongue into the brunette’s mouth Elyza pulled back, “I taste great.” Alicia playfully shoved her. “Now it’s your turn.” Elyza said as she pushed the brunette out in front of her, with her ass facing back into the blonde’s face.

Rather than use her hands to pull down the blue panties Elyza decided to go with a more involved method. The brunette remained on her hands and knees as the blonde leaned over her and hooked her teeth into the panties. Inch by inch Alicia felt the wet fabric being pulled down her but, then her thighs, she had no concerns what so ever, in fact she had never felt more confident in her appearance, with all the love the blonde had shown her.

Without adjusting her position Elyza pulled the panties out from under Alicia’s legs and brought them up to see if she could catch a scent of her lover. Elyza could smell the best thing that she’d ever smelt in her entire life and decided that she wanted to see the source of this wondrous scent. “Stay as you are Lysh.” Elyza said as she got on her back and slid her head between the parted legs of the bent over brunette. Elyza delicately kissed the inner thighs, she could feel the brunette shaking above her. The blonde stretched her arms up and cupped the breasts of her brunette. She looked down at the painted face between her thighs and a loving smile spread across her face. With one hand she grabbed one of the hands grasping at her breasts, with her other she lovingly pushed some wet hair off of Elyza’s face and behind her ear. She was panting and her eyes screamed for Elyza to start.

“Please Elyza I need you now.”

With that Elyza started to lightly circle around the cute little clit of the brunette her the tip of her tongue tracing it, occasionally brushing over it. “Fuck me.” Alicia moaned as Elyza tortured her with pleasure. “Don’t tease me Elyza, I want it please.” Alicia begged the blonde. Elyza knew exactly where to nibble and lick on the brunette’s pussy to get the   
loudest moans out of Alicia, she also knew exactly how to make Alicia fly with pleasure. Elyza held nothing back.

Alicia’s grip on Elyza’s hand tightened considerably as Elyza began to work her magic on her body. Moan after moan escaped her lips, “Elyza.” Was groaned out a few times in between as Elyza pleasured her. It was mere moments before Alicia was grabbing the wall and hunching over in pleasure and ecstasy, an even shorter time before Alicia felt herself soaring over the edge, screaming Elyza’s name without reserve or concern, she had never felt such bliss. Elyza continued to gently lick and suck at Alicia so that she could gradually come down from her amazing high. 

“Come down here babe.” Elyza gently whispered to the brunette who was by now too exhausted to even think of arguing. Elyza sat up and Alicia sat between her legs, her back pushed into Elyza’s large breasts. Alicia could feel the sift skin of them pushing against her back and she loved it. “That was incredible.” She said, turning around so that she could face her lover.

“I know.” Elyza said with brash cockiness that just made Alicia chuckle. With their legs intertwined Alicia leant her head down to rest on Elyza’s shoulder as the hot water beat down on the two girls who were locked within each other’s love.

“Do you want me to wash off your warrior paint baby?” Alicia asked as she reached for a flannel and held it under the water. Colour filled eyes surrounded by dripping blackness stared back at her, Alicia could see the feeling and emotion that lived behind them. She brought the flannel up and began to gently dap at the paint near the soaked blonde hair.  
Alicia spent the next few minutes cleaning the blonde of the day’s wares, the paint, and the splatters of blood that still remained. Alicia paid special attention to make sure that she didn’t apply to much pressure when she cleaned the blonde’s leg wound.

“Turn around.” Alicia said, Elyza did so until her butt was pushed right up against the brunette’s crotch, as close as could be, the way the two of them now liked it. Alicia wrapped her arms around the blonde’s middle and hugged her for a bit, enjoying how her sensitive nipples felt against the blonde’s strong back. “Let me wash your hair.”

The large bottle of shampoo that had been brought aboard in the supplies was cold against her skin but she soon began to massage it into the blonde’s scalp, gentle but commanding of the tangles that presented themselves to her. Alicia took her time to just enjoy the feeling of having her fingers passing through the blonde’s locks.

Elyza sat calmly as she revelled in the feeling of having someone else push their hands through her hair. Her friend had done it a few times, but no one had ever done it with such care and affection, and love as Alicia was doing for her now, and she didn’t want this moment to ever end. “That feels great.”

“Sit back babe.” Elyza did and the spray of water began to hit her hair while Alicia began pulling her fingers through, making sure no tangles formed. They repeated the same   
enjoyment of closeness as Alicia repeated the process with the conditioner. While she was massaging in the liquid Alicia leaned and gently pressed her lips against the chess piece artwork that decorated her back. Alicia didn’t know what it meant yet, but she would gladly wait until Elyza felt confident enough to tell her.

Then they swapped positions so that Elyza could return the favour for Alicia. Alicia had always been very self-conscious about her hair and thus never had the luxury of people running their hands through. She now however didn’t even think of being uncomfortable, as the blonde paid every detail, making sure she didn’t pull too hard or hold too tightly.  
Soon they had finished washing each other and decided to just sit in silence. The silence was not awkward but was however filled with feeling that didn’t need to be vocalised, they just held each other close and enjoyed the warmth the other radiated.

“We should probably not hog all the hot water Babygirl.” Elyza said to Alicia whose head had found its way back to resting on her shoulder. They stood up, moving close to wrap arms around each other while Elyza reached behind the teenager to turn the water off. At the same time Alicia reached for a towel and began to dry the two of them at the same time.

They kept themselves pressed to each other with their skin as the sudden absence of the water had made them realise that it was very cold at night. Elyza had even started to shiver a tiny bit before Alicia had warmed her up with some contact.

They walked passed the pile of clothes out of the bathroom into the now dark bedroom, they were both really tired and decided that clothes would just be too much effort right now. Besides neither of them wanted anything hindering the contact of their skin with the other.

“Can I spoon?” Alicia asked of Elyza who gladly responded, “Of course babe, I love it when you hold me close.” They climbed into the soft bed. Elyza faced out towards the dark calm sea. She felt the body of her lover climb in behind her and she shuffled back a little as Alicia reached over her middle to pull her closer. Elyza couldn’t help but chuckle when the brunette’s hand wormed its way up to cup her boob, and she had no intention of moving it. It was warm and comforting to know that Alicia wanted her, always, not just because she’d been sad.

Alicia started over the blonde’s head up into the starry night sky. There were no lights coming from any land, she could see the shining light from every single one of them, and still they weren’t more beautiful then what she held. Alicia pushed her lips against the blonde’s neck, just above her spine. “I love you Elyza.”

Without hesitation there was an immediate reply of “I love you too Alicia.” Nothing else needed to be said as the two young girls soon fell asleep, in the knowledge that their lover was holding them close and had no intention of letting go for anything.


	12. What We Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madison and Elyza finally come to an understanding, Daniel and Elyza find out more about the by they'd brought on board.
> 
> Hi all, just wanted to say a big thank you for the continued support, with the last chapter I went over 3000 hits, that more then I ever expected to receive, so Thank you, and I hope to continue this story for a long while.

The storm raged out over the sea, it had come in overnight out of nowhere. As the thunder cracked down on the sea Elyza groaned in her sleep. Alicia had always been a light sleeper, the thunder had woken her up almost instantly. She looked down on Elyza whose head was now resting on her bare breast. The blonde’s hand was tightly wrapped around her midriff, pulling as strongly as she could.

Thunder landed down again and Elyza pulled tighter while moaning almost as if she was in pain. Alicia knew that Elyza hated storms, her parents had died in the crash during a storm. She wrapped her hand around her shoulders while her other came over to hug the blonde close and massage her back, hoping to soothe any fear her blonde was feeling. Elyza sniffled a little bit and flinched at the contact, “Shh baby, it’s all right, just sleep.” The blonde soon fell back into her rhythmic breathing.

While massaging, Alicia stared out of their window, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep with the noise of the waves crashing down against the hull every few seconds. The ship was rocking a little bit with the strength of the waves. Despite this Alicia soon found herself drifting off into an easy sleep. Elyza’s weight on her body was a constant reminder that she was safe and protected. She only hoped that Elyza felt the same way, Elyza wouldn’t admit it but she knew that the blonde wanted to feel protected in that way too. And she would do what she could to make her feel that way.

\--

The two girls woke again after a few hours to the heavy rain and lightning, Alicia checked her phone to see that it was mid-morning, “It’s about 9 in the morning.” Alicia hears a chuckle come from behind her as hands come to wrap around her waist. “You can really tell can’t you?” Elyza jokes, through the window it seemed impossible to tell what time of day.

Elyza was still feeling particularly affectionate with her lover now, she began to kiss along Alicia’s shoulder blade, eventually reaching the middle. Alicia shivered at the ministrations but didn’t have time to enjoy them for long before their bedroom door opened.

Madison stood in the empty doorway staring at the near obscene sight in front of her, her daughter and the blonde Australian sitting naked in a bed, Elyza with her lips still connected to Alicia’s skin. It was at least a second before Elyza grabbed the sheet and threw it over Alicia’s body, hoping to save what could possibly remain of the brunette’s dignity. She then moved to stand in front of the covered girl facing Madison.

Alicia was quick to return the favour as she threw a cover that had fallen on the floor around her lover. The two teenagers then just stand there in front of Madison, awkwardly keeping themselves covered. “Mrs Clark, lovely to see you as always, do you think it’d be alright if you gave us a sec, cheers?” Elyza says while slowly closing the door on a still shocked Madison who doesn’t even notice the door closing right in front of her face.

“Well that could’ve gone better.” Elyza says as she drops her quilt, Alicia knows it’s not the best time but she never won’t get excited at seeing Elyza’s body on display. “Come on Sweetcheeks, mind out of the gutter. For now.” Elyza says with a cheeky grin on her face as she grabs a pair of white briefs and slides them up and over her legs, Alicia’s eyes follow their progress.

Dropping her own cover Alicia moves towards getting herself dressed, when she bends over to get a shirt out of her bag she notice’s the reflection in the dark window, Elyza’s eyes are locked on her bent over ass, mouth open and what looks like drool forming.

“Let’s go babe, we may as well get this done now rather than later.” Elyza snaps her head up woods, having made eye contact through the reflection. “Yeah well it’s not the first time her mother has walked in on me so, I have a bit of experience with this kinda thing.” 

“You’ve been with someone else?” Alicia whispers to the room, the blonde freezes with her shirt just above her head. After it falls into place she walks over to her brunette and very gently begins to respond, “Yes babe I’ve been with someone else, she was…” Elyza pauses trying to think of the right words to reassure Alicia, “she was a mistake in the end.” She decides is best. “She was my first, and my only other.” The blonde is rubbing the brunette’s arms up and down trying to comfort her. “I never thought about it.” Alicia responds with a slightly upset tone. “And you never will have to again, babe, I promise.” Elyza says as she leans forward to try and kiss Alicia, but before she can connect their lips Alicia says, “I was with Matt,”

This causes Elyza to stop slightly before saying “I know.” And continuing to join their lips in a kiss that Elyza hopes will show the devotion she has for committing. “It doesn’t matter who we’ve been with before babe. All that matters is that you’re the only one I want to be with now.” Elyza says as they come apart with wet lips. Alicia lets a smile spread across her face at the blonde’s words. “Thank you for not trying to cover it up.” Alicia says with genuine happiness, “I would never hide anything from you Alicia.” Elyza responds before connecting their lips again.

\--

The metal door swung open to reveal a pacing Madison, she held her hand up to her chin with her other hand resting on her hip. “Hey there Mrs C, how’s it going?” Elyza asks trying to keep the conversation casual. “Alicia can you go upstairs?” Alicia surges forward but is held back by Elyza at the last second. “You can say to me what you say to her.” The brunette all but spitting her words in her mother’s face. “You’ve worked on wearing her down since we got her, making her feel like a monster among us. Well not anymore.” Alicia now all out shouting, wanting everyone on the ship to hear her.

“Alicia” Elyza mutters to the brunette whom she is keeping a tight grip on, “its ok baby, she needs this.” She says as the brunette with fire in her eyes turns to face her. “Like I care what she needs, she has done nothing but hurt you.” Elyza can’t help smile at the care Alicia has for her. “Give her the chance to redeem herself, please. I need this.” Alicia’s face softened when she saw the pleading look in her eyes and she understood why Elyza wanted this so badly, she wanted to be accepted in, not forced upon the group without acceptance.

Alicia whirled around to give her mother her hardest glare, “Elyza is the best thing that could have happened to our group.” Madison nods slowly but Alicia isn’t finished, “Every single one of you owes her your life multiple times over.” Madison keeps her lips shut waiting to be allowed, “And I love her.” Alicia finishes quietly to her mother whose eyes were lowered to the floor. The brunette looks up through the glass ceiling to see the faces of her brothers looking down at her, everyone else was there except Strand, not surprising really.

She turned to kiss Elyza full on the lips much to the girls surprise as her head jerked back a little but then moved forward with full intention of returning the kiss. “It’ll be all right, I promise. Now go.” Elyza whispers. Alicia turns and walks past her mother without even looking at her or acknowledging her presence. Her feet fall heavily on the metal steps as Elyza watches her ascend to be with the others above her.

“Let’s talk.” Elyza says as she leads Madison back into her room and shuts the door behind them.

\--

Alicia dropped herself onto the couch next to her brother, “You ok Lysh?” he asks as he puts his hand on her shoulder, she doesn’t respond immediately, she stares through the glass floor down at the door to her room trying to imagine how Elyza was feeling at that moment. “Yeah Nick I’m fine.” She lies and he knows it, he also knows not to press the issue and pats her shoulder as he sinks back into the couch.

“She should’ve stayed ashore.” Alicia snaps her head up ready to defend her love but Nick beats her too it. “You really don’t know when to shut up do you?” he asks the other teenager who’s about to get an earful. “What the fuck is wrong with you Chris?” Chris storms to his feet trying to establish some sense of control but Alicia is not having it. “You would be dead three times over if it wasn’t for her saving your life.” Chris had nothing to say to this but he was to prideful to give up. “She’s the reason I needed to be saved, if she hadn’t come along we could have stayed on shore, out here we’re getting kidnapped and shot.”

Dumbfounded is all Alicia can be at the stupidity of this boy. “You were about to be eaten up by a horde and you’re blaming her for that not happening.” Alicia shouts at the injured boy causing Travis to come out of his room where he’d been waiting for his wife to return. “What’s going on? Chris?” He turns to his son for an explanation. “We should have never let that blonde bitch come on board.” He shouts in his father’s face. 

Travis takes a step back to be next to the two Clark siblings. Daniel and Ofelia are coming out of their room now, Ofelia leaning heavily on her makeshift crutch. “Chris, explain to me how you think we would have survived without her.” Daniel says calmly, knowing shouting is only going to make the situation worse. “I don’t know, we would have found something. Someway.” The Salvadoran assists his daughter in sitting where Alicia had stood. “Chris, we would all be dead without her.” the older man continues, “You all keep saying that but she’s the reason we needed saving. For all we know she’s working with those pirates.”

“Do you not here yourself Chris?” His father asks trying to approach his son, “You know she isn’t so what’s really wrong?” Travis can see through his son’s wild antics, he knows Elyza isn’t what’s really wrong with Chris. 

“She has no right to be here with us, and she has no right to be with any of us!” The boy shouts, aiming his last attack directly at Alicia. Fire was pumping through her veins and Nick could see it, though he was reluctant to hold her back considering his current opinion of his step brother.

Travis rests both of his hands on the boy’s shoulders, careful not to put pressure on his wound. “Let’s talk Chris.” The younger man shakes himself free of his father, “No I’m done talking, none of you can see it but she’s trouble, for all of us. She doesn’t deserve to be with her!” Alicia had had enough of his bullshit and she flew forward with rage and desire to hurt fuelling flowing through her veins, how dare this little boy disrespect her lover.

Before anyone even realises she has tackled him to the ground and is landing shots onto his face one after the other. Nick, Daniel and Travis move to pull her off of the boy but have some trouble as her arms keep moving, keep trying to bring her clenched fists down onto his face, “Alicia stop!” Chris shouts. Trying to cover his face from the blows but with only one arm at his disposal it isn’t really going very well for him. Blood is already dripping out of his mouth and nose, other small cuts have formed on his face.

Nick eventually hooks his arm around Alicia’s and begins to drag her off to the side but before he can move her completely Alicia sees the opportunity and she takes it. Slamming the heel of her foot down into the injured shoulder of the boy, his scream sounds out through the halls of the ship as his good arm comes up to cover his wound which is now leaking blood through his shirt. He is crying, sobbing as he writhes around on the floor.

“How fucking dare you!” Alicia shouts at the sobbing boy. Travis grabs his son around his good arm and begins to gently drag his son off into one of the bedrooms. Nick held Alicia back the entire team, not game to let her go until the door was closed and they all heard its lock slide into place.

“While I do not disagree with you motives, I have to question your actions Alicia.” Daniel asked her calmly, clearly unphased by the attack he’d just witnessed. Alicia’s green eyes moved to glare at the collected man but she could see that he’d meant no harm with his query, and he wasn’t the person she was angry at, it wasn’t even Chris. He just made a very good target for venting. “Would you be able to restrain yourself if someone told you that Ofelia, or Griselda didn’t deserve to be on the boat? Deserve to survive?”

Daniel simply nodded his understanding and moved to sit on the couch. Ofelia limped over to Alicia, “Hey Lysh, don’t worry about Chris, he’ll come around eventually, he kind of has to really.” She says as she wraps her arms around the girl who had in the past month become one of her only friends. The younger gladly returns the welcome hug. “I know, Ofelia. Thanks.”

\--

“What in the hell do you think you were doing Chris!” Travis starts in as soon as the door is closed behind him. “I was saying what everyone else is thinking.” Chris tries and fails to shout through what is probably a swelling lip, he can’t really tell with the blood pouring out of so many places on his face. “Chris, everyone is right. Even Madison will admit that we’d all be dead without that girl.” Travis goes into the bathroom and gets a clean flannel and dips it in some warm water.

“Why will none of you admit that she’s dangerous, she kills and torture’s without a second thought.” Travis just sighs at the old argument. “That’s a tired argument that we all know the answer to. She cares enough to do what she has to, like Daniel.”

“But…” Chris tries to continue. “No Chris, you’ve said enough and I don’t think there’s anything you can say to convince any of us. Now tell me what this is really about, because you were happy enough to have her with us a few days ago.” Chris has had enough, without thinking he strikes out at his father, landing a good hit right on his jaw. In the disorientation the younger boy managed to open the door and push his father out, he tripped on the doorway, Chris didn’t seem to care as he slammed and locked the door behind him.

\--

The door closed gently behind the two women. Elyza moved past Madison to sit on the bed. Madison moved to grab the chair and she sat down in front of Elyza, trying to look anywhere but the teenager and the bed where’d she’d earlier seen the two girls naked. “So…” Elyza tries and fails to start the conversation, and the two women sit for a few moments longer.

“Why?” Madison whispers so quietly that Elyza wasn’t sure that she’d heard anything. “I’m sorry.” Madison looks up and locks eyes with the Australian. “Why did you torture and kill those men?” Elyza lowers her head at the memory of the blood and pain on her hands. Her memories however are only of how much Alicia showed her love, her care. “Because I had to.” Madison just waits for her to continue.

“Madison my parents died in a car crash when I was 11 years old, we’d moved to America only a few months before.” Madison’s face remains blank but she says “I’m sorry Elyza.” Elyza lets out a long sigh before she stars, she doesn’t intend to stop before she’s made Madison understand. “It’s ok Madison. The people that adopted me did everything, my dad even stopped his tour overseas to look after me at home while my mom worked at the high school. My dad, Richard, he was in some special branch of the military, we didn’t have anything really in common and he didn’t know how to get through to me.”

Madison’s counselling skills stepped in and she began to take mental notes on her patient. “I was a very painful child for them and they didn’t deserve it.” Elyza turns her wrist over to reveal the large scar that runs the length of her forearm, Madison’s eyes widened at the appearance, she understood what it was. “I couldn’t let them in. I didn’t realise that I wanted someone to help me move past the car crash.” Elyza takes a deep breath as the memories of her past bring back feelings she wasn’t very keen on revealing. Madison hadn’t expected the younger girl to open up to her like this but couldn’t deny that it was helping her to somewhat understand who the girl was as a person.

“My dad found me in the bathtub with the scissors in my hand. I hadn’t planned on sticking around. But I did.” Elyza sniffled a tiny bit. “He knew that he had to do something so he did what had helped him through his depressions that he’d had when he’d come back from overseas. He began to train me.” Madison understood now how the girl was so skilled with weapons and fighting.

“He made me do all the exercises that he had to be able to do to stay in his unit. The obstacle courses, the hikes, the combat and weapons training. All of it. For years he had me do all of it.”

“I didn’t understand what he was doing at the time but looking back it makes a lot more sense. Richard was giving me something to focus on. Something to distract me from my memories. Around my seventeenth birthday he brought me to the graveyard where my parents were buried. It was the first time since the accident had happened.” Madison was to say the least that it had taken so long for her to visit the graves of her parents again.

Elyza continued. “I could finally see something that reminded me of them and not want to break down and cry. I could think of everything my parents gave me, they saved my life when they could have just as easily left me out in the cold to do to myself what I could have. I owed them so much more than I ever got the opportunity to pay back.” 

“That’s the job of a parent Elyza.” Madison says to the girl who raises her eyes to look at the older woman. “To do everything we can and expect nothing in return. To help however we can and love no matter what happens.” “I lost all four parents that I’ve ever had, I watched them get ripped away from me and I’ve never hurt more Madison.” The blonde nods in solemn realization at the losses the blonde had suffered throughout her short life, they were what no person should ever have to suffer, let alone someone who had so much good to contribute to the world.

Madison reaches out her hand and Elyza gladly takes it. “I love her Madison. I will do whatever is necessary to keep her safe and happy if I can. You need to know that.” The older counsellor chuckles a little, “Elyza, I understand now. I understand that my daughter found the safest person in this world and fell in love with her. She couldn’t be safer with someone who knows what it feels like to lose someone. They’ll fight that much harder to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Elyza cries a little and moves forward to be embraced by the older woman. The hug is warm and genuine. “I’m sorry Elyza, for everything I said and did to you. You didn’t deserve it.” “Like you said Madison, the jobs of a parent.” The two blonde’s pull apart but Madison holds Elyza’s arms, “If you need to talk to someone please don’t hesitate. “I won’t.”

\--

Travis stumbles to his feet after being kicked out of the room. His hand comes up to cup. He looks so confused. “Are you ok Travis?” Nick calls out to the stunned man. In response the tanned man tries to utter a response but all that comes out are mumbles. “I uh, I don’t.”

He doesn’t have time to finish his sentence as the two blonde’s ascend the stairs behind the group. “Alicia.” Elyza calls out to the brunette. Instantly she has arms wrapped around her neck, but not before Elyza notices the blood on Alicia’s knuckles. “Hey, hey what happened?” Elyza asks with a worried tone as she brings the knuckles up close to see if her baby is hurt. 

“It’s ok, just Chris being a dick.” Nick calls from the couch. Alicia tries to pull away but Elyza holds firm as she can already see the scabbing starting to form. “Come with me now.” Elyza says as she drags the brunette towards what was now apparently their medical area, Alicia trying to assure that she was fine but Elyza was having none of it.

“Alicia what did you do?” Madison asks in a stern tone once Alicia is finally settled and Elyza is working on cleaning the hands. “What I could.” Was the only reply that she gave. “Beat the poor kid to a pulp is what she did.” Nick mutters to himself as he comes to stand by Elyza offering his help, Elyza hands him a sterilized towel and he starts to clean his sister’s wounds.

“What?” Madison exclaimed to her daughter who only rolled her eyes. Travis had moved from his place staring d stupidly at the bedroom door trying to comprehend how his son had stuck him. “Mom, Chris was being a jackass.” Nick said. “That doesn’t mean she gets to lay into him Nick.” Travis returned before Madison could.

“You’re defending him after he punched you in the face and tripped you out of your room?” Alicia questioned the man, it was Madison’s turn to face her husband and ask the same question she had of her daughter only a minute before, “What?” she grabbed his head and turned it to try and see the mark. Elyza began to wrap bandages around her lover’s wounded hands, being as gentle as she possibly could. “Lysh babe, what happened?” She gently prodded with the question while Madison was preoccupied with Travis.

“He was talking about how you didn’t deserve to be on the boat, how you were the cause of all our problems, how you didn’t deserve to be with me.” The last bit was said with nothing but anger and loathing in her tone. Elyza instead of sharing in her rage just laughs, “Babe, you didn’t need to go apeshit on him for that, he’s just a horny teenager whose pissed he couldn’t stick it in something.” Madison having listened to the whole exchange, while not sure on the wording, agreed with Elyza’s summary. “Elyza’s right Alicia.” “Well that’s new.” She couldn’t help but cheekily respond to her mother. “Yes Alicia, we settled our differences. But you can’t just go around hurting people, not now. Not when we need to be together.”

“With all due respect Madison, it seems as if Chris is the one that doesn’t want to pull together.” Ofelia says as she moves over to the group, Elyza is quick to help the troubled girl to a seat, Elyza begins to work on removing the girl’s bandage. “It looks clean. The stiches are holding nicely as well, another week or so and I’ll be taking them out.” Ofelia let out a sigh of relief at the news, “That’s good, I’m not a fan of sitting back and letting others so work for me.” She said.

“Alicia, please promise me that you won’t do something like this again. We need to be helping Chris fit into the group, he’s troubled after Lyza died.” Travis finally said something but it wasn’t what anyone was expecting from the usually stoic and morally righteous man. “Madison we need to stop making excuses for him, he needs to get in line or he’s not going to survive. This group needs to work together, we can only wait so long for him to catch on.”

“Travis, he may hate me but please believe me that I hold no resentment towards your son. He may just be pissed cause no one wants to do what he wants but he’ll realise soon that the world doesn’t revolve around him.” Travis moves to rest his hand on the blonde’s shoulder. “I know Elyza, thank you.” The older man then moves off to grab an ice pack from the freezer and sit on the couch. Madison soon moves to help him but not before saying, “Alicia, hands to yourself and Elyza, thank you.” Elyza just nods as the older blonde turns to assist her husband.

“What did you two talk about?” Ofelia asked, knowing that the two blondes had been at odds. “Yeah she was holding a gun to you a few days and now you’re best buddies now?” Alicia really wanted to know what her lover had said to convince her usually incredibly stubborn mother. “I just explained how I felt about you, and I told her about how I was raised.” The blonde says being intentionally brief in her descriptions. The Salvadoran takes her cue. “Thanks for the bandage Elyza.” She says with a smile on her face, one the blonde doctor returns. “You two should know, you two look really cute together.” Alicia hugs her best friend, “Thanks Ofelia.” “You know it Lysh.”

Elyza moves to help the Salvadoran woman back to the couch to sit with her father. Before Elyza releases her grip the woman grabs on tightly and pulls the blonde’s ear closer. “I know you love her Elyza, please look after her, she already lost one lover to this world, I don’t have to help her through loosing another.” The blonde finishes lowering the woman onto the couch. “Don’t worry Ofelia, I will always be here to protect Alicia.” Ofelia nods her agreement in return and Elyza moves back to the medical bay to her lover.

“So what did you really say to Madison?” Alicia asks, Elyza sighs before responding. “I told her everything, how my parents died, how I nearly drove myself to death after them. I told her about how my adoptive parents saved my life. She understood how I was able to do anything after that.” Alicia wrapped her arms around the blonde, not needing to verbally express her love to the Australian badass.

\--

He had been stuck in this room for nearly a day, the bathroom was empty. He couldn’t see anything he could use as a weapon, not that he’d be able to see it let alone reach it anyway. The gag in his mouth had been soaked through with his saliva. They could at least swap it for a new one her thought to himself. These people had stolen him away from his home, not that it was much of a home. Now he was just waiting to see what was going to happen to him.

The light almost blinded him as the door to the bathroom swung open. He brought his bound hands up to cover his eyes. Strong arms came down to help him to his feet. They weren’t pulling or grabbing but were guiding. He decided not to struggle and see what these people were going to do, the least he could hope for would be a quick death. 

“What’s your name son?” was the first question the older balding man asked him after he’d been sat in a somewhat comfortable chair. His eyes had slowly begun to adjust to the lighting after the window was behind him. He could see a blonde woman standing next to the man, she was young but very powerful, it was easy to see.

He remembered her from yesterday, he’d watched her nearly take of Jacob’s head with a baseball bat yesterday. But she hadn’t hurt him, she obviously could’ve, but she hadn’t wanted to apparently. 

“Alex.”

He said nothing else waiting to see what they would do. “I’m Elyza, and this is Daniel.” The blonde, Elyza, said to him. “What do you want with me?” the boy asked, deciding to try and get to the point. “Elyza here seems to think that you can be of use to our group. That you will be an asset. I am yet to be convinced.”

“That’s why you didn’t kill me, cause I looked useful.” His tone towards the blonde was full of accusation, he’d watched her smash in Ian’s head without a second thought. “Take who you can that will be useful and leave no one else, is that it then?” 

“No it’s not.” Alex could see that his accusation had gotten to the blonde, he could even see what looked like regret on her face, but he didn’t believe it for a second, these seemed like the types of people who knew how to get what they wanted.

“I didn’t hurt you because I thought that I could rescue from those people.” Elyza continues. Trying to justify her reasoning. “Those people were my family, the man you knocked out was my father, the man you slaughtered my uncle. You stole me from those who would protect me.” The blonde lifted her hand to her face at what was a very convincing attempt at shock and remorse, he didn’t believe it for a second.

“Those people would not have protected you boy, a person like that in charge would give up her own child if it meant she could survive.” Alex couldn’t help but snort at that, “I happen to be in a position of experience that lends me to believe she wouldn’t old man. I am that person’s child, Hannah is my mother and she has spent her entire life doing what she had to, to take care of me.”

“I didn’t realise.” The blonde says, “Of course you didn’t, you just saw a way you could feel better about yourself, a story about how you saved an enslaved child that you could tell at a campfire. Well sorry but that’s not how it was, not like it matters anyway, there probably all dead now thanks to you.”

“They are alive Alex, only one of your people died that day, and that was because you were attacking us, not because she took pity on you.” Daniel says as he leans forward right into the kid’s personal space. The boy’s attention is not however on the man, it is on the blonde who is pacing behind him. Alex had never been very good at reading face but hers was not what he’d expected at all, she wore a face of guilt and remorse, not of victor and grandeur.

“You actually think you were in the right don’t you blondie? You think you’re some patron saint doing good in a world where it doesn’t exist.” Elyza spun around to face the antagonistic child, “take it from someone whose lost four parents Alex, having them can be just as bad as not having them. You’re mother, she was so far off her head that one day she would wake up and not even recognise you.”

The boy couldn’t deny that even after all his mother had done for him in her tortured life, she was starting to act like he meant less and less to her. He’d assumed it was a way to prepare him for if she’d ever died. “She’s been getting distant lately, but only because she doesn’t want me to miss her.” he says to the blonde, not in the most convincing tone, apparently Elyza was already inside his head. “I’m sorry Alex but it’s the other way around. She was getting more and more distant so it wouldn’t hurt her as much when she let you go to save her own skin.” Elyza spoke in a turn that held so much sorrow and empathy but Alex didn’t want to believe it.

“You’re wrong!” he shouted at the two older people. He had to believe it. He had to believe that his mother was only doing what was best for him. “The job of a parent is to love Alex, she may have been your mother but she was not ready to be your parent.” Elyza calmly said to the distressed teenager. She truly felt sorry for him having to discover this about the one person he’d thought he’d always be able to rely on. “She did love me, she always did! What she did to look after me, all those men in that hotel room, she suffered day to day just to keep me fed!” 

“Son, her skin was ruined and her teeth were mostly gone. She wasn’t doing it just to look after you.” Daniel said, letting a tiny bit of his remorse seep into his tone, he’d watched lots of children grow up in the village without parents after his work had been done there. He’d taken away a lot of fathers and the mother’s had turned to desperation to try and support their children, since the women hadn’t been allowed actual jobs there. He’d watched the children grow up watching men walk in and out of their mother’s houses every day. 

“I’m sorry Alex.” Elyza said as she knelt down in front of the now silent contemplating boy, “There’s not really anything I could say that would make this any easier for you to take but please if you need anything, please ask me. Ok?” the boy didn’t respond but instead leaned forward to rest his head against the kind woman’s shoulder, his tears began to fall down his cheeks as his world came crashing down inside his head. Elyza wrapped her arms around the broken child. “Shh, it’s ok Alex” She whispered while her hand stroked his hair.

After a few minutes the boy seemed to have let everything out that he had. “I don’t know.” Was all he said, “What do I do?” he asked, he didn’t want to go back now knowing what he did about his childhood.

“Now we introduce you to the rest of the group.” Elyza said with a smile on her face.

“Daniel?” She asked as she turned to face him. He only nodded in response. He stood up and moved towards the blond young boy. “Now Alex, I wouldn’t try anything, you’ve nowhere to go from this boat.” Alex looked up at this older man with blood shot blue eyes, “Where do I have to go old man?” he asked with all sincerity he could muster.


	13. Truth Comes Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Right so, I'm trying to somewhat keep this cannon so.  
> Basically, Strand's a liar, Elyza wants the truth and so does everyone else.

Daniel slides the slim blade underneath the duct tape and rips us, slicing straight through, he repeats the process on the other hand and the 14 year old boy is freed from his restraint, “Thanks.” Alex mutters as he begins to rub his sore wrists, “You are welcome.” The Salvadoran man wears a big smile on his face, Elyza knows it to be for show, and Alex can see straight through it as if it wasn’t there.

“Come on Alex.” Elyza says as she stands behind the boy while he walks towards the door to the main area. Elyza can see that Daniel is flicking the safety off on his gun and stuffing it into the back of his pants, Elyza’s grip on her machete doesn’t lessen any either. Elyza nods at Daniel, “I’ll watch him.” Daniel keeps the false smile on his face and it does nothing but put Elyza on edge, that man does not have a face made for smiling. “As will I.”

Alex was standing in front of the metal door, clearly waiting for someone to tell him he could go through. The boy, while much younger than the blonde came up to only be a few inches shorter than her. “You ready Alex?” She asks him as she rest her hand on the handle. She pulled the door back and the young boy walked through. His eyes were wide in wonder but he was also checking for any threats. The two warriors following him could tell that this boy had a fighter’s instincts, they both noted it down mentally for later.

“Alicia!” Elyza called out to her beautiful brunette. “Come say hello everyone.” Daniel called out to the rest of the group. As the group moved to surround the boy Elyza noticed that even Strand thought to pull himself away from his ship to meet its newest inhabitant. The only absence she noted was Chris’s, he must be sulking still she thought.

“Alright everyone not so close, we don’t want to overwhelm him.” The large group came to form a small semi-circle around the young boy and his two interrogators. Alicia was the first to step forward, Elyza would have guessed that her passionate lover would be one of the first to welcome the boy. The brunette reached out a long slender hand towards the boy, Elyza couldn’t help but think where that hand had been yesterday but she pushed it to the back of her mind. Alicia had noticed the slight redness in the blonde’s cheeks, and had plans to torment her with it later.

“Hi, I’m Alicia.” She said in a warm and welcoming tone. “Alex.” The boy gave her a cool response as he analysed her hand for a second before he took it. Nick was the next to step forward, Elyza guessed he’d be the type to be good with kids, her assumption was proven right when Alicia’s older brother instantly connected with the young kid. “Hey what’s up man, I’m Nick, also known as Nicky, whichever you prefer, welcome aboard.” Nick took it a step further and patted the boy on his back. “You’re going to be sharing a room with me, ok?”

Alex couldn’t help but smile at Nick’s exuberant attitude, “Uh hi.” He awkwardly mumbled out. The rest of their group made their introductions, Elyza and Travis assuring him that he could ask them for anything. Alex blushing when Ofelia smiled at him, he tried to hide it but everyone noticed. Last of all was Strand, he didn’t extend his hand, preferring to keep his arms crossed in front of him. The beanie wearing man instead looked at Elyza and Daniel. 

Elyza seemed to understand the unspoken question and nodded her ascent of the boy, despite having only just arrived upon the boat herself it seemed that Strand already trusted her judgement, he didn’t seem to trust anyone else on the boat. Which made Elyza internally question the rich man that much more. 

The man stretched his hand out to the young teenager, “Alex.” He said in a cool tone, “I trust you understand the conditions of being on my boat. You will make yourself useful, right?” Elyza honestly isn’t surprised that Strand jumps right into demanding something from the boy. Alex narrows his eyes at the detached man and nods his agreement to the conditions. It seems to Elyza that this young boy trusts the man even less then she does. Once Strands has said his piece he leaves to go hide back in his cabin.

“So what’s the plan now then?” Nick asks in an upbeat tone, clearly looking forward to doing something for the day that they still had left. Elyza had an idea that brought a smile to everyone’s face. “How bout I teach all of you how to not get killed?” Elyza looks to the adults who are all huddled together, Madison doesn’t look overly happy at the suggestion of weapons training but she looks at her daughter, all she sees is a look that tells her not to go against the Australian warrior.

“Travis, do you want to get Chris?” Elyza asks, staying true to her word of not holding his actions against the distraught young boy. Travis looks conflicted at the question but still responds, “If he wants to come up then he will.” He says. Elyza understands the man’s conflict having been told what happened between the father and son. “Everyone else good?” she asks, small cheers of agreement sound out in the room, even Alex is growing a small smile on his otherwise untrusting exterior.

Elyza reaches down to help Ofelia get to her feet, “You too Ofelia, come on let me help you.” Ofelia had planned to just sit downstairs, “You don’t have to Elyza, it’d probably be better if I waited till I could walk anyway.” Daniel wasn’t of any position to disagree with his daughter but knew Elyza was right. “Ofelia, we all need to learn, don’t worry, right now I have all the time in the world to teach you, but you have to let me.” The blonde knew that sooner or later Ofelia would be coming back to the mainland with them, and she needed to be able to defend herself.

A large smile spread across Ofelia’s face, “I have been itching to do something fun.” She says while feeling happy that the blonde would still want to help her even if she wouldn’t be the best student. “Called it! Now come on then.” Elyza is happy that she managed to convince the Salvadoran to come get some fresh air.

\--

The group of them are soon standing on the open deck of the Abigail. Elyza and Daniel stood apart from the rest of the group who had formed a small semi-circle in front of the two instructors. “Right so likelihood is we won’t actually be shooting anything today.” Daniel nods and continues for his partner “Today we will be working on stance and hold of a weapon.” 

“Ok, everyone take a gun from the crate.” Elyza calls out as she pushes a crate forward with her foot. Alicia and Nick are the only ones who immediately step forward, but as Alicia is about to reach into the crate of neatly organised Beretta’s Elyza softly coos her name “Alicia, I got a special one for you.” Nick just chuckles before saying under his breath, “I’ll bet.” Alicia punched him in the shoulder after a look of embarrassment washed over her face. The boy laughed as he jumped backwards and into the semi-circle.

“Go on.” Nick said urging the others forward to pick out a weapon. Madison, Travis, Ofelia and Nick all moved forward to the crate. Ofelia jumps back a tiny bit as she feels the cold metal under her touch. Alex lets out a small little laugh at the girl’s surprise, “You ok there?” he asks with interest. “Yeah, it’s funny.” He peeks with interest at the girl’s response, “What is?” “It’s just that I’ve been on the receiving end twice but I’ve never held one.” She says. Alex reaches into the crate and pulls out another gun and gently places it into the woman’s hand. “Here.” Is all he says as he does so, all the while wearing a warming smile on his face.

“So you got a special one for me eh?” Alicia asks after sauntering over to her lover, she wears a smug grin on her face. “You know it babe.” Elyza says as she reaches into the back of her belt and pulls out a holster. Inside the holster is something that Alicia can only describe as beautiful. The handle of the gun is ivory and the usual grip is white. Along the smooth side of the gun is something that leaves Alicia speechless.

Her name is deeply and neatly engraved up the handle on both sides of the handle. The beautiful weapon is finished off with the little details that decorate its barrel. Little engravings of flowers on one side while the other has a small love heart. 

“Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful.” Alicia says quietly before launching herself into the blonde’s arms, sealing their lips together in their favourite expression of gratitude. Daniel seems to have noticed that the two girls are preoccupied and gathers the spectators around and begins to instruct them. 

Meanwhile the two girls kiss for a few more seconds, both of them panting a little. “We should really get to the lesson babe.” Alicia slowly retracts herself out of the blonde’s embrace but never completely releases contact, still holding her hand as the walk to where Daniel has lined the rest up next to each other.

\--

The two military trained fighters spend the next half hour lecturing their pupils on the importance of gun safety, keeping a finger off of the trigger unless they’re actually going to shoot, how to breathe properly, and most importantly to not shoot blind. “Ok now everyone take up a stance and maintain it, Ofelia Daniel will check you. I’ll take care of the rest of you.” Everyone moves as if synchronised together, Daniel moves to assist and coach his daughter while Elyza moves to the first on her list, Travis.

“Have you ever fired a gun before Travis?” Elyza asked the soft man shakes his head and does his best to maintain his position "they tried to get me to use a sniper but i couldn't do it.", although he must admit it’s a bit uncomfortable saying it, it's probably best she know. “That’s why we’re teaching you, some shooters in the military don’t move for hours on end just to wait for the perfect shot. Now the rest of you listen, one hand cups the magazine while the other holds the handle ok?” Elyza calls out to her students who all move to copy the gestures that had accompanied the blonde’s words.

Elyza makes her way through, saying such things as, “Wider stance, aim higher, finger off the trigger Nicky.” She says this last one as she pokes him in the side causing him to lose his aim all together. Alicia was last on the list as the brunette knew that her Australian instructor would take the longest with her. “How ya doing Babygirl?” Elyza asks casually, though she can see that Alicia is starting to sweat a little from having to maintain the pose for so long. 

“Sore.” The brunette groans out, Elyza moves in closer and gently closes her hands around Alicia’s body and begins to make small adjustments, causing her to be pressed against her lover’s frame. Alicia feels the warmth from her lover and wants nothing but to continue feeling it and so, even though it pains her, every time Elyza makes an adjustment in her stance she just reverts back so that Elyza must repeat. Elyza eventually catches on and stops trying and leans in to whisper “The more you resist, the longer everyone has to   
maintain their stance, and they look like they’re getting tired.” Alicia still continues to be a pain for Elyza so the blonde decides to adopt a different tactic with her disruptive pupil.

“Work with me and I’ll make it up to you tonight, Alicia.” She says with hot breath pushing against the brunette’s neck and ear, while her hands have wrapped around the front,   
adjusting the brunettes arms, which surprisingly, stay in the position that Elyza puts them in. “There’s a good girl.” Elyza continues, she notices the smirk on the younger girls face and one soon forms itself on hers.

“Get a room, jeez.” Alex calls out from next to them, causing everyone else to laugh, even Madison allows herself a little chuckle. “Oh Honey. Believe me. We already did.” Alicia replies, nothing but sass emanates from the girl and Alex’s cheeks are soon burning bright red because of it. “Oh, um.” Alex stammers out trying to recover some dignity from the   
failed attempt at humour. “It’s ok Alex mate, don’t worry about it.”

The weapon’s lesson lasts for about two hours before Elyza sees that by the sun it would be late afternoon, “Ok guys time for a cooldown!” she shouts before stripping some of her clothes and diving into the cool ocean, soon followed by Alicia who’d known instantly what the blonde had meant. Nick joins them and soon everyone is swimming in the refreshing if salty ocean, even Ofelia rests with her wound soaking in the salt water.

\--

After every one had washed off the salty water the group decided that it was time for a sit down dinner. Elyza kindly offered to prepare some sausages and mashed potatoes, no one had originally understood what the blonde had meant when she’d shouted out that she was making “Bangers and Mash.” She’d had to explain it and afterword everyone just gave her a weird look.

The group couldn’t deny though that Elyza was an absolutely masterful cook, the sausages were cooked perfectly and the mashed potatoes were the perfect mix between creamy and textured.

The group was very surprised when Strand decided to come down and eat some food with the rest of them, that surprise quickly wore off though as he started talking. “I’ll need to be pulling into Santa Barbara. We need some more supplies, we got lots of guns curtesy of Miss Lex, but we need food and medical supplies desperately.” “And some new clothes wouldn’t hurt” Elyza called out interrupting the man who if anything wore only a look of disappointment at the blonde.

“As I was saying, Santa Barbara isn’t as big as LA so hopefully the military presence there wouldn’t have been as big, the city definitely was not big enough to bomb so there should be plenty of supplies.”

“Do I have any volunteers for a supply run?”

Elyza’s hand jumped into the air, even the Australian had to admit that she missed the feel of solid ground beneath her feet. Once Elyza’s hand went up Alicia’s soon followed, Nick was in hot pursuit and the three teenagers were the only one’s volunteering. Madison looked as if seeing her two children volunteering for a dangerous mission was killing her. She knew she was still rebuilding her relationship with her two children and decided that for the sake of it, it would be better not to object. Alicia noticed and nodded to her mother as a sign of gratitude for not interfering, this caused a small smile to grace Madison’s lips.

“I will go also” Daniel said. This surprised no one as the Salvadoran man was not one to trust that something would be done properly unless he was there to supervise.  
The last hand to go into the air was that of their newest group member, the shorter boy’s blonde hair was frizzy from the saltwater but no one could doubt the determination in his eyes, however questioning his motives for going to land was a lot easier. 

“What? I miss the ground, I was on that boat for as long as this had been going on. I miss land.” Elyza could see that there was something else, the boy felt a need to prove himself she realised, that he was part of their group now, that he could contribute. “Good on ya kid, we could use a smaller person for tight spaces.”

\--

After a good night’s sleep, one preceded by a very enjoyable night for the two teenage girls, they awoke to the ship at a complete halt. “We must have reached the city.” Elyza said as she held Alicia to her bare chest, enjoying both the weight and warmth of her lover’s body. “You ready to go exploring?” Alicia asked as she intertwined her fingers with the   
blondes and dragged her hands until they were both lying on the bed head.

Alicia moved until she was sitting on top of her still horizontal blonde. Elyza had both of her hands trapped above her head and wouldn’t stop anything that involved Alicia sitting in her naked lap. Alicia made sure that she firmly had both of the blonde’s hands locked in her grasp before she brought her right hand to begin lightly dragging the tip of her finger across the blonde’s breasts.

Alicia lowered herself down and began to gently breathe on Elyza’s nipple, the blonde fought valiantly but couldn’t stop herself from moaning at the sweet torture. “You know I had you pegged for an ass girl Lysh.” The brunette just grins and responds, “Right now babe, I’m an Elyza girl.” Before lowering her tongue to gently flick across the diamond hard tip on display. 

Elyza lurched forward as pleasure filled her. Alicia began to lavish Elyza’s chest, slowly taking her time to worship every ounce of Elyza’s body that was available to her.  
However as soon as Alicia started she drew herself away ad in the next instant as off the bed and heading towards the bathroom. Elyza didn’t even realize that until the metal door closed, having been riding the waves of pleasure that were being inflicted upon her. She is off the bed soon after eager to see why Alicia thought she could get away with such   
sweet torture.

The bathroom door opened and Elyza instantly locked her eyes on Alicia’s naked body through the glass panes of the shower. “That was for teasing me at training yesterday.” Elyza moaned and rolled her eyes. “But I made that up last night.” Alicia pushed the pane of glass open, an invitation for the blonde to join her. “Oh I know babe, I was there remember.” Alicia felt a slight bit flustered at the memory of how slowly Elyza had massaged and rubbed her body for an hour last night.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you later, I just don’t want to be late.” Elyza grabs the soap and begins to bathe her lover, taking extra time to make sure she’s reached every area. “You better.” She laughs out before locking her lips with Alicia while continuing to wash her.

\--

Nick was sitting on the top of Strand’s master cabin, he’d come to think of it as his own look out space. He was up there now to enjoy the sunrise from the best vantage point. He sat without a top, letting the light breeze wash over him, pair of binoculars in his hand. He brought them up to his eyes to see the city that they had been fast approaching, Santa Barbara Strand had said. 

Through the binoculars he could the ash and dust that must have once been the city, but that wasn’t the most interesting thing, as they’d found out about Los Angeles being blown up. Through his binoculars he could see a sign that clearly had the name ‘San Diego’ upon it. “Lying bastard.” Nick whispered to himself before he jumped down off of the roof of the cabin.

“Elyza! Madison!” Nick shouted into the crew hold. The two blondes came up the stairs closely followed by their brunettes. “What is it Nick?” Elyza called out once she was up the stairs, beating Madison by a few seconds. “Strand’s docking us in San Diego.”

Elyza was out the door and heading towards Strand before anyone even had time to understand what Nick had said, once he did though Daniel was next out, close on Elyza’s heels. The door didn’t stand in Elyza’s way as she burst through it. The black man pulled back and had his gun out and aimed at Elyza’s head before he realised it was her and lowered it again. 

“San Diego Strand. What happened to San Francisco?” the smug smirk returned to the man’s face and it just made Elyza want to smack him. “I never said San Francisco, you did.” The blonde was getting annoyed with the man’s callous. “I was under the impression that we’d agreed on San Francisco.” She said barely attempting to conceal her rising annoyance. “Well then I’m sorry for your confusion, Miss Lex. For I was under the impression that my boat goes where I want it to go.” “And where is that Strand?” Daniel asked, losing his patience a lot faster than the blonde. 

“That, is my business my Latino friend.” Madison was next through the door and had heard the last few sentences before getting through the door. “Not anymore Strand, it’s all our business now. The second you brought our families on board, you made it our business. Where are you taking us?” The man raises both his hands as if someone were pointing a gun at him and then brought them together in front of him, “Do you not trust me? After all I have done, saving Nick from that death camp, letting you into my house and then onto my boat.”

“None of which you’d have been able to do without us there to save your skin Strand.” Madison with ice coating her voice. “Trust is based upon honesty Strand.” Elyza said with a condescending manner. “And you haven’t been very honest with us so far. I’d start now.” The man’s eyes narrowed when he heard the subtle but blatant warning in Elyza’s words. “Are you threatening me Miss Lex?”

“I don’t have to be. Your choice mate.” She says as a smirk comes across her face and her hand rests lightly on her holster, purely for effect, she had no intention of shooting the only man who could actually pilot the boat but Strand didn’t need to know that. Daniel asked the question they all wanted an answer to. “Why south instead of north?” Strand knew he’d have to come clean at this point, even if they wouldn’t throw him overboard, they could make his life hell. 

“We’re going to Baja, in Mexico.” He let out with a sigh as he rested his forehead in his hand. “Why Strand, what’s in Baja?” Elyza pressed. “There’s an estate there, with food stores, water filtration for the well, and concrete walls.” Elyza is confused, if that’s all there is then why lie. “And you felt the need to neglect this to the rest of us why?”

Strand remained silent clearly not wanting to share the answer. “Well?” he waved her off and moved to the controls “We need to get there as soon as possible.” “And why is that my friend?” Daniel comes to lean on the console next to Strand wearing that smug that says he has every desire to hurt someone.

“Because we need to get there first. That’s why you have to get what we need fast Miss Lex. Or we will miss out on the opportunity to live this through.” “You mean you’ll miss out on your opportunity. We’re just along for the ride aren’t we?” Elyza attacks him with the question. “We don’t even need to stop, you don’t care about supplies. You’re only stopping so you can try and get rid of some of us.” 

“Now now, don’t make accusations Miss Lex. While you’re right we don’t need the supplies, I do need Travis to do some maintenance on the engine, and you may as well stretch your legs.” Strand had never looked smugger with himself and Elyza hated it so much. “You still didn’t answer my question Strand, why not tell us about Baja?”

“Because you didn’t need to know. You should have trusted me to do what’s best for the group, Miss Lex”

“You should have earned it Victor.”

\--  
Elyza was standing on the edge of the ship where they kept there zodiac speedboat. “Keep an eye on him Madison.” The younger blonde said to the older as she pressed a gun into Madison’s hand. Madison wrapped her hand around the handle and pulled it close, “I will be, don’t worry.” 

The blonde then turned to Chris who’d come down to the small mini peer. “I want to come.” “Tell me what you want and I’ll grab it for you Chrissy.” Chris moved towards the boat and made to get inside, only to have a hand placed on his hand by Nick. “Not happening Chris.” The emotional boy glared at the former addict and pushed forward trying to move past Nick, unsuccessfully. “Enough Chris, you’re not coming.”

“Why not the rest of you get to go, I want to come too.” Elyza had already had enough with Strand and really didn’t need Chris’s childish shit. She held up her hand and said “Ok first and foremost, you’re injured, and yes I am too but you’ve never been shot before I have. And I can shoot with an injured leg, you can’t with an injured arm.” She was quick to add on when she saw he was about to rebut. “Secondly, there won’t be enough space in the boat, we need it for the supplies.” She is now holding two fingers up.

“And lastly, you really seem like the type to walk off by himself and do something stupid that will stuff up the rest of the group, and really I can’t be having any of that. So you’re staying here Chris and that’s final.” Chris looked like he was about to blow a fuse at Elyza, but for once decided to actually keep his composure and instead shove past Nick, trying his hardest to but shoulders with his step brother but as soon as he did he regretted it. He used the wrong shoulder and Elyza saw him reach for his wound.

“Well their go the rest of the stitches. I ain’t doing them again.” This remark earned Elyza a chuckle from Alicia who’d been storing the bags in the boat. Elyza decided to rub a little more salt in the wound to see Alicia’s reaction, “So you didn’t want anything Chrissy?” She calls after the boy who just slams the cabin door behind him.

“Oh I know that no one’s slamming my doors down there.” Strand shouts down from the sunbathing area that he was occupying, while piloting the ship. “Just a moody teenager   
Strand.” Nick shouted up to the man. Nick still had a little faith in their captain, even if just for the fact that Strand had kept him alive, but he was firmly with Elyza that he had been rather untrustworthy.

“Elyza, can I talk to you?” Madison asked from the deck. “Uh yeah sure Mrs Clark.” Elyza jumps out of the boat causing it to rock a little, “Watch it baby.” Alicia called out as she got his with a little bit of spray from the ocean. “Sorry babe.” Elyza said as she dropped her foot on the boat causing it to spray a little more on Alicia. Elyza chuckled, “Oh no way you’re getting any now.” Alicia called out much to the despair of Madison who did everything she could not to remember the scene she’d walked in on yesterday.

Madison clears her throat before locking eyes with the red faced blonde. “Uh sorry about that Mrs C.” Madison raised her hand to stop Elyza from talking, Elyza just nodded understanding the desire not to continue the topic. “Elyza I need you to promise me something.” Elyza knew what Madison was about to ask. “Madison you don’t need to make me promise it, I would do anything to protect them anyway.” Madison may have just been referring to Alicia, but Elyza also made sure that she would look after Nick as well.

“They’re too young to be doing this Elyza, scavenging around in the houses of dead people.” Elyza sighed and scratched her head while looking at the 14 year old boy she’d brought aboard. “Age doesn’t matter anymore Madison, we’re lucky we have each other. At this point for most people it’s either you or them.” Madison nodded, “You have to understand that you can’t protect them if they can’t protect themselves Madison. They understand the risks…” Elyza paused while Madison looked at her children, Elyza reached out to the older mother and rested her hand on her upper arm. “But it is what’s necessary now Madison. They understand that, and now you need to. I’ll keep them safe, I promise that to you. As will Daniel.”

“I know Elyza, I know that necessity has negated personal wishes, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. But thank you, and I know you will Elyza, I just.” She pauses for a second, “I just needed to hear it, thank you.” Elyza patted her on the shoulder and moved to jump back into the boat. “We’ll be back by nightfall!” Elyza shouted as Daniel started the engine and piloted the smaller speed boat away from the cruise ship.

\--

Elyza was enjoying the breeze flowing through her hair, the sea spray, not so much. “Ok let’s go through the plan again.” Elyza said as everyone gathered around her, Daniel even leaned forward from his position at the motor. “Alright first off and this is the most important thing I will say. Do not, under any circumstances, split up. We are one team and that is how we will stay, we split up we die. Everyone get that?” she saw various nods and was somewhat happy, “Did every get that?” Daniel shouted, not trying to be mean but making sure that everyone understood. “Yes” Echoed around Elyza as everyone shouted their understanding.

“Right next. We’re only going to be hitting places close to the coast, they’d of been least affected by the bombing. Most of the walkers would have been drawn to the flames and would’ve walked right into the flames.” Daniel nods, to enforce her hypothesis, “That doesn’t mean we won’t find any walkers, and I’m not at my best right now so we’ll need to work together to take care of them.” Alicia who happened to be sitting next to Elyza gently laid her hand down on the injured thigh and began to rub to try and soothe her lover.

“So no jumping off of buildings this time.” Elyza just frown’s at the older teenager while Alex just looks up at Elyza with a shocked look on his face. “Long story Alex. Anyway, we try to find stores, they’ll have the most supplies.” Daniel leaned forward to whisper something into Elyza’s ear. “Pharmacies too, Nicky your expertise might be required.” Nick’s face dropped a little at the mention of his previous favourite past time. Elyza reached up and patted him on the shoulder. “It’s ok Nicky, we’ll be there too.” Nick nodded before smiling up at the blonde. “I’m ok Elyza, I’ve been sober since we got out of that military camp, and not even I’m stupid enough to try and get a fix right now. What kind of stuff do we need for Ofelia?” Nick asked directing his question to Daniel. 

The Salvadoran man looked surprised but quickly regained his composure. “The shoulder wound Andrew gave her. It’s getting a bit infected.” Elyza spun round at this information. “Why didn’t she tell me about another wound, I’m the medic I need to know this stuff.” “It is a family matter Elyza.” Elyza decided it was better than to argue with the man, understanding his desire to keep things that didn’t need to be shared from being shared. “Next time tell me please.” 

“Anyway, infected you said?” Daniel nods to Nick. “Right I know what we’ll need then, look for the oxycodone and the ones ending with cillin, like penicillin.”

“Heads up guys, we’re coming up on land. Get ready!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to keep this up to date according to show cannon but like, put my own twist on it, adding in Elyza and Alex, and so on.
> 
> Please Enjoy. :)


	14. According to plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group arrives on land and heads to a big shop, things most definitely go according to plan, as usual.

Elyza could hear the crackle of the rocks and sand underneath them as the boat came to a stop on the beach on the ruined city. Alex had been sitting at the front of the boat and jumped out to begin pulling it ashore. Nick soon followed him. They both landed with loud splashes in the clear water. “Not too far, we may want to get out of here quickly.” Elyza calls out as she joins the boys, the bottom of her boots began to fill with the salt water.

“You’re welcome to join in Alicia.” Elyza called out with a little bit of snark on the tip of her voice. “Oh shit. Sorry.” The brunette uttered to everyone as she joined them. Daniel was the last to join them on land, ensuring that the fins wouldn’t drag against any of the rocks and get damaged. “Grab the bags.” Elyza called and Nick grabbed them and began to follow the rest of the group that had already began to head up the beach.

There was a hill to get up to ground level. The group wasn’t ready to see what was at the top. They all, even Elyza covered their mouths in shock at the sight that presented itself. Every building on the skyline was now just smouldering rubble, most of them still letting of the smoke of the fires that had consumed them. Not a single skyscraper managed to stay standing under the excessive onslaught of the military bombers. “Jesus Christ.” Elyza hushed out with bated breath, as if speaking to loud would bring down any of the small buildings that managed to remain standing.

The area where the group had come up of the beach was not as badly damaged as the city clearly was. The bombers must not have focused on the beach. “They must have thought people would go into the city.” Alicia muttered. 

The street they stood on was completely empty, there were no people anywhere to be seen, all the cars were empty, and bikes lay strewn across the cracked pavement. “There’s no bodies.” Nick said, they had all been thinking it. “The fires must have attracted them, like you said Elyza.” Daniel said to the still somewhat shocked blonde. 

“Yeah lucky me.” She said as she began to walk towards the nearest building. It looked like it had been a restaurant of some kind. The sign had fallen and smashed into the sidewalk. “Skip the restaurants, they wouldn’t have non-perishable food, or any other supplies for that matter.” Elyza spoke as the group followed her lead. They all had their guns drawn and pointed down at the ground, Elyza had armed each of them with a pistol and a sharp knife. She had fully decked herself out with her two swords gripped tightly in her hands, two pistols, two desert eagles, a belt full of throwing knives, and lastly she was carrying an assault rifle strapped to her back. Daniel had a pistol and an automatic shotgun was wrapped around his body, bouncing lightly on his back as the moved. 

“Remember, no shooting unless you absolutely have to, we don’t want a horde coming down on us.” Elyza reminded the group. She doubted that she’d be able to take on a horde as she had when she’d first met the Clark siblings. Elyza stopped them all on the sidewalk when she remembered something. “Last thing, these aren’t people anymore, you don’t become one of them unless you die. These people have already died, we’re just taking care of the bodies. I don’t need any one not swinging cause of a crisis of conscious. You’re doing them a favour. Now, let’s keep moving.” 

The next shop on the street was a convenience store. “Come in here and watch my back, I’ll only be a second.” Elyza knew from experience that these corner stores usually had maps for the tourists. Elyza pushed the door open, which caused a little bell above the door to ring, on instinct Elyza froze, she caught the eye roll from her lover, “Sorry.” 

Elyza continued through the door, the growling and moaning of a walker was audible from the entrance, the blonde waited for a few seconds but nothing approached, she thought that it must be trapped, but just to be careful she tapped the shelf with her blade a few times just to be certain that nothing would jump out to surprise her.

The growling got louder and more focused but it didn’t move, the sound was coming from the back of the shop. Creeping along the floor, the trained fighter pinpointed that the sound was coming from behind the door marked ‘male toilet’. “Poor bastard.” She whispered as she pushed the door open. “Oh fucking hell.” She coughed out as the extremely focused smell of urine and death attacked her senses. “My condolences mate, bad enough dyeing in a toilet, but this, that just ain’t right.” Alicia was behind her making sure Elyza wasn’t alone. “No kidding.” She said in response.

Elyza saw the stall door shaking and rattling, “Gotcha.” Elyza quietly exclaimed, but was quickly disappointed when she realised that the door didn’t open from the outside. “Great.” Elyza walked up to the door and measured herself against it. The door only finished an inch or two above her head so her plan would work. “What are you doing?” Alicia was worried that Elyza was getting so close. “Watch and see babe.”

Elyza stretched her arm up and bent it at the elbow into the stall, the blade aimed down into the cubicle. She felt a pull at the blade and as soon as she did she slammed it down, driving it through what she assumed was the head of the walker. Her assumption was proven right when she heard a body fall to the floor and not get back up. “Bullseye.” Elyza couldn’t help but raise her hand in a fistbumb motion, Alicia struggled to not let her eyes completely roll back, “Nicely done Elyza. Now can we get out of this room please, it fucking stinks.”

Elyza escaped out of the room that reeked and quickly found the maps, she grabbed one and moved back outside to her group. “Got it.” Nick scrunches his nose at Elyza’s new found scent, and even Alicia has trouble hiding her reaction to it. “Took your time babe.” “Yeah well you can’t rush genius. And sorry about the smell, poor bastard got trapped in a cubicle. I guess when you could say he had to go.” Everyone in the group groans out loud at Elyza’s terrible pun, even Daniel rolled his eyes. 

“Anyone, no.” Elyza quickly checks to see if anyone found it funny. “I’m wasted on you lot.” She muttered before Daniel quickly changed the topic. “What did you want in there Elyza. “Oh yeah right, I got this.” She says as she pulls out her map and points to a large building on it. “Costco?” Nick asks, “Yeah, and by the looks I don’t think it would have got too much heat from the bombers. 

“That’s all well and good Elyza, but why would we actually want to go to a Costco?” Elyza chuckled a little before answering the confused teenager. “You Americans don’t actually realise how big your stores are do you. There has to be literal tons of supplies in there. Most of it would be non-perishable too. Not to mention how bloody big their pharmacies are.”

“We need a truck.” Elyza said as she started moving down the street at a brisk pace, looking in driveways and garages. “What is it with you and trucks Elyza?” Nick calls out as the group trail behind her, keeping an eye out. Elyza stops dead in her tracks as she almost screams but manages to stop herself at the last second, “You beauty!”

Elyza jumps into the black pickup with a large open trailer sitting on the end. “Wow, of course she found one.” Nick mutters to himself, the younger Alex laughs at the older boy that he’d grown a liking for. Alex didn’t know why he liked Nick but guessed it was probably the child like mentality, not Chris’s tantrum like mentality, but rather the excitement and joy at doing even the most mundane tasks, no matter what it was Nick was always excited, nervous maybe, but excited nonetheless to do it.

Elyza jumped in the driver’s seat and began looking for keys under the seat and in the glove box, she’d searched for a good minute before Alicia came up, and cockily flipped down the sun visor, a set of keys fell right into the blonde’s lap. She pics them up questioningly as if they’d appeared out of thin air. “Seriously.” Alicia raises her eyebrows. “People actually do that.” “You’ve been here for most of your memorable life and you’ve never seen that.” “Only in the movies.” Elyza literally looks dumbstruck at the hiding spot, “It’s so obvious that it’s not Elyza.” Alicia says as she climbed into the passenger seat next to her lover. “Hey Elyza I’m with you, these kinds of people, way too trusting.” Nick inputs as he gets in behind with Alex sitting next to him. 

Daniel climbed into the truck’s bed and knocked his fist down onto the roof, signalling that he was ready to move. “Nicky mate, how’d you feel about navigation?” Nick takes the map that’s thrust into his hand, “Isn’t that usually the passenger seat job?” he asked confused about why he’d gotten the task. “Not this time mate, passenger’s already got the job of being my beautiful hand holder.” Elyza said, Nick looked down to see that the blonde’s hand was resting on Alicia’s jean clad thigh, the brunette had her fingers resting on top and slightly intertwined. “You two are seriously gross.” Nick muttered jokingly as he lay back in his seat. “Jealous much Nick.” Alicia teased her brother. “Alrighty Seat belt’s everyone. I ain’t going slowly.” Nick being the person he is has to get the last word in, “I’ll bet.” Alex was nearly in tears at the expense of the blonde in the front, the humiliation quickly passed as Alicia’s grip tightened, letting the blonde know that she shouldn’t listen to the boys joking. 

\--

The roads to the megastore were mostly empty, there was the occasional walker but they never saw more than one or two at one time. Elyza’s hand all the time never left contact with Alicia’s. She was truly content in that moment. She allowed herself to be a little distracted before Alex called out that there was a walker coming up. Elyza felt up for a little fun so instead of driving around the walker she pulled the hand holding Alicia’s up to the wheel. Her other hand reached down to grab her sword. The second the blade sliced through the walker’s head Nick regretted driving with his window down.

He began to cough and splatter as blood landed all over him. Elyza burst out laughing at the boy’s discomfort, Alicia and Alex soon followed suit. “That’s real fucking nice Elyza, really I always thought red was my colour how could you tell?” Nick spat back, he spoke with nothing but sarcasm towards the blonde. “Should’ve had your window up then mate.” “Not even a warning Elyza.” Elyza just chuckled and continued driving, her hand back where it belonged on Alicia’s body.

Another few minutes of driving and Alicia pointed through the windscreen, “We’re here. The building doesn’t look so good babe.” Alicia was right, the bombing must have hit a little harder than they thought, a small section of the roof had caved, the rest however looked reasonably safe. Elyza slowly pulled the truck to a stop out the front and jumped out on to the rubble. “Let’s make this quick people, we don’t want that coming down on us.” Nick, still covered in walker blood, ran forward and began to lift the metal shutter door. Elyza drove into the massive store and parked it in the open space before the lanes started to form.

“Everyone stay behind me first.” Elyza was truly blown away by how massive the store was, she would have bet money on there being at least a hundred lanes of stuff, not to mention how high the ceiling was. The blonde could see the hole where the ceiling had collapsed at the other end, she was just hoping nothing important would be there. One of the first stands that Elyza saw was one selling base ball equipment, there were a few baskets full of balls and it gave Elyza an idea.

She went over and dragged the basket towards the group, “You right there Elyza.” Nick asked, not so trusting of Elyza’s plans after he got soaked in walker blood because of the last one. “You wanna practice those softball skills Babygirl, draw them towards us?” Alicia’s face perked up that Elyza remembered what she’d told the blonde about her playing record. “This should be fun.” Alicia faced the wall that was a little bit away from the group and took up her stance. “Ready?” “Go for it.”

Elyza picked up a ball and lightly tossed it up and down a few times before she underarm threw it towards the brunette. Alicia wound back her swing and when it connected with the ball there was a loud metallic clink as the metal bat crashed into the balls material. A few seconds later they heard the crash as it landed against the metal wall. It was loud enough that it reverberated throughout the empty store. “A few more times than we wait.” Elyza repeated the process with her lover and couldn’t help but notice that Alicia managed to nail the same spot on the wall almost every time. And she couldn’t help but be impressed.

After the second ball they saw a walker approach the impact point on the wall, what the two girls failed to notice was that one was also being attracted to the sound of the ball hitting the bat, not the ball hitting the wall. Though that was why they had the three others, to cover their back. Daniel took care of the solitary walker quickly and efficiently. The two girls repeated the swings a few more times until there was a small crowd of walkers standing under the wall. “Last one babe, make it special.” Elyza said with a smirk written on her face. “You got it.” Elyza liked to challenge her lover but was truly surprised that the last ball the brunette hit didn’t go up for the roof but sailed near horizontally, to smash into the back of one of the walkers heads, it’s head caved under the power of the ball and it didn’t get back up.

Elyza couldn’t help but be a little turned on by her girl’s showing off. Before she could stop herself Elyza had walked across to Alicia and laid a massive kiss on her unsuspecting lips, it wasn’t even a second however before it was returned. The three boys began to busy themselves with anything that wasn’t the two girls, who’d apparently forgotten about their current situation. Eventually though Daniel spoke up, “Ladies.” He said in a slightly louder voice and the two girls jumped apart, “Right, yes, let’s, uh, let’s go take care of them.” Elyza manages to stumble through her sentence. Alicia is beet red, and Nick notices as he walks past her, “Almost as red as me now sis.” He comments.

The group makes their way towards the horde that was about 20 strong. “I’ll get a few with these first.” Elyza says as she pulls out a throwing knife from her stash. Even on a week leg, her balance is still good enough for her to easily land 5 out of 5 head shots with her throws. Daniel can’t help but be impressed, his face even shows a little. “Wow, you really went easy on my ship didn’t you?” Alex question of the blonde before they move on. “Oh I wouldn’t say that mate, different situation, people are a lot harder to deal with.” Elyza explains.

The group follows as Daniel leads them towards the horde that only has 15 now, “3 each.” Elyza says. Everyone nods and they begin to charge. Elyza kills two instantly as she drives her twin swords through the back of their heads. When the two in front of them turn around to face her, she lifts herself up, slower than usual on her injured leg, but she still manages to take them out with quick thrusts of her swords up and through their skulls. This all happens between any one else has even made a kill. “What happened to 3 each?” Nick blurts out as he takes out his first walker with a stab to the eye from his knife. “No one’s stopping you from getting 3 mate.” She called out as she took down two more with a spinning swing, cutting through the middle of their heads. 

It was another minute before the group had managed to take all of them. Elyza counted her kills up to 13 including the ones with her throwing knives, Alicia had 4 and the boys each had only one. “I’m on 13 boys, catch up.” Nick just shakes his head and moves past her. “Where first?” Alex asked, trying to hide his disappointment at only getting a single walker. “The pharmacy, we need the medication most.” Daniel simply nods at Elyza, both as acceptance of the command as a thank you for prioritising Ofelia’s infection.

The group walked reasonably quickly to the pharmacy area, their weapons still drawn just in case of more walkers. When they got to the counter they found that they metal shutter had been pulled down over the entrance. Elyza slammed her fist against the metal a few times after she’d tried to lift it. Elyza grabbed the padlock leaning over the counter’s edge that was keeping the gate sealed. “I need a pipe, or a long piece of metal.” Alex saw a long shaft of metal and ran to get it.

“Here, what are you gonna do?” “I’m going to tear it a new one.” She said before she dropped the metal through the hole, it only just fit which was exactly what she wanted. The pipe was at a sloped angle with most of it pushed away from the wall. “You might want to stand back.” Elyza says as she raises her leg and slams it down onto the pipe, pushing it towards the wall and ripping the lock open and off of the gate. She pushed the pipe a little too hard as the lock went flying through the air to slam into one of the shelves a few meters away. The loud sound of metal hitting metal echoed throughout the whole store. “Eh, could’ve been worse.”

“Right Nicky you’re up.” “On it.” Nick climbed through the counter and began searching along the isles within. Elyza followed him through and brought one of the bags, holding it open for anything he threw behind him. In a few minutes Nick called out that he’d gotten everything that would ever be useful to the group. “All done.” He announced. “Right good.” Elyza said holding up the mostly full bag and passed it back through the counter before climbing out.

“Let’s move, lane by lane ok?” She asks the group before they all nod. Alex calls out to the group from a little away, “Why don’t we use these, there’s no walkers to hear them so we’re good, right?” Nick smiled as he ran over after Daniel nodded at the suggestion. “Nicely done Alex.” Nick says ruffling the young kid’s short hair. He pulls out five carts so everyone has one. The move to the end of the first lane, Elyza at the front, followed by Alicia and Nick, Alex and Daniel making up the rear. 

Most of the first lanes contained stuff that was completely useless to the group. The next lane they pulled into however had something that they sorely needed. It was full of water bottles. “We’ll fill a cart with as much as we can, then middle person pushes.” Nick just groaned. A few more lanes and the girls found the lane that held all their needs. “Oh thank fuck.” Alicia nearly moaned as she saw all the tampons and pads she’d had to go without in their situation. “Damn right.” Elyza said as the two girls went to grab their preferred products while the boys stood uncomfortably at the end of the lane. Alicia noticed that Nick was scratching his shoulder, clearly eager to move to the next lane. Both the girls grabbed plenty of boxes, knowing that the four women on the ship mightn’t be lucky enough to get another chance like this. Alex ended up pushing the cart full of tampons, and Elyza was impressed with how mature he was about it.

They had to go a few more lanes before they found the perishable foods section, the last carts were filled and they began to move forward, putting the rest of what they found in their bags. Elyza knew they’d have to find more bags if they wanted to get everything packed to the ship, luckily enough the next lane serviced that need very nicely. Daniel called out from the rear, “What else do we need?” Elyza from the front called back, “Clothes and toiletries.” 

\--

The group finished going through the lanes and started to head back to the front of the store. They’d managed to find lots of clothes in the last few lanes. They didn’t get many for cold weather considering their newly revealed destination. They were about to start loading the trailer full of the bags and boxes they’d got when a crack of thunder was heard, it was incredibly loud and it sounded very close to where they were. They heard the rain start to pour down onto the ground outside. “We can’t go outside in that.” Elyza said, “The trailer and flatbed aren’t covered everything’ll get soaked.” Nick asked Elyza, “What about tarps, there was a lane near the end of the store. “Right, Daniel, Alex, Alicia, stay here and keep packing. Nick you can show me where.”

Elyza and Nick began running down to the back of the store, it took them a few minutes considering how many lanes there were. Once they were in the lane Nick moved to where the larger rubber tarps were placed, he grabbed one that looked plenty big enough for the trailer, “Get a bigger one for the truck, Daniel gonna be sitting back there remember.” Just as Nick goes to grab a bigger tarp they hear a gunshot go off from the truck. Nick goes to move towards it, “Alicia.” He breathes, Elyza stops him by grabbing his arm just before he rounds the corner. “Wait a second.” They do wait and there is silence. 

“They’re fine Nick, it was a shot to warn us. We would have heard screaming or more shots, or even voices, if they needed help.” Nick nods, understanding the blonde’s logic. Elyza grabs a large tarp and they slowly begin to move back towards the truck. Once they are only a few lanes away they begin to hear the growling. The two of them are in the last lane before the truck when they see the horde, “They must have come during the storm. They wouldn’t have heard the groaning till the walkers were right on top of them.” Nick’s sticking his head up above Elyza to try and see where the group is, “I can’t see them.”

“There in the pharmacy. I told Daniel to lead them there if anything happened. We could lock ourselves inside.” Nick nods, “So how do we get inside with them.” Elyza turns and begins to walk back down the lane they’re in, “We don’t, there’s way too many walkers to get through.” “So what do we do Elyza?” Nick says careful to keep his voice down while still conveying his confusion. “We climb.”

“Climb?” “Yeah Nicky mate, walkers can’t climb for shit. We climb up and wait them out. I hope you’re not scared of heights.” The blonde says this as she reaches for the metal shelf and begins to pull herself up, having no trouble with the task due to all the muscles she’d built up in her arms.

Nick on the other hand had a little more trouble, considering he was worried and didn’t entirely understand why they were going up. He tried nonetheless, Elyza had to pull him up. They went up five shelves, they were about 10 meters of the ground when Elyza said they were high enough. “Ok we’re good here.” From where they were they had a good vantage point to look down on the massive horde of walkers. Elyza had to guess that there were about a hundred dead down there. Even at her best she wouldn’t be able to take that many.

“Ok, here’s the plan.” She started as she reached into one of the stacked boxes they’d climbed up next to. She pulled out a glass bottle, full of Jack Daniel. “Oh come on, why the good stuff?” Elyza moaned as she wound back her arm and threw the bottle as hard as she could in the opposite direction of the store, trying to draw them away from the entrance, away from the pharmacy.

The glass shattered on the metal wall, Elyza watched as the glass fell to the floor. It had drawn the attention of some of the walkers as they began to move towards the noise. “Want a go Nick, I don’t think I could do that again.” Elyza mock cries as another bottle smashes against the wall. “What a waste.” Nick said as he threw a few more. “Keep throwing them further and further, get the horde as far into the shop as you can. We want them as far away as we can.”

Nick does so as Elyza begins to climb down on the side with the truck. “Throw 5 more then follow me Nick.” Elyza has to carry the 2 tarps with her on the way down and they make it a little bit difficult to reach hand holds but she manages. Looking down she can see that there is only one or two walkers left in the open area, and they’re following the rest of the horde into the store. She hears Nick above her and she calls out to him, “Go slowly Nicky, you’re fine.” Elyza was almost tempted to say don’t look down but thought better of it.

Elyza breathed a sigh of relief when she felt her feet hit the ground. As soon as she did she ran towards the truck to see that it was fully packed, “Good” she breathed to herself as she rushed to tie the tarp around their supplies, trying to be as quiet as possible with the crinkly material.

She was about move to do the same for the flatbed of the truck, when she heard something crash into the ground. Her head whipped up at the sound. She saw Nick lying on the ground, his face pressed into his shoulder. “Nick.” Elyza hushed out as she rushed towards him, trying not to let her feet fall heavily. 

She fell to his body and she could hear him groaning into his shoulder, “Nick, what happened?” She asked he only answered with groaning, he was doing everything he could not to make any noise, his arms were down reaching for his ankle, Elyza couldn’t see anything wrong with it but she guessed he must have sprained it or even twisted it. “You’re ok Nick, just try and stay silent we’ll be out of here soon.

The blonde bent down and lifted him up to carry him to the truck, she tried her best to help him but Nick couldn’t stop himself from letting out a small cry of pain. He immediately silenced himself but it was too late, one of the walkers had heard and had turned back.

Once Nick was buckled into the back seat Elyza sprinted back to the pharmacy gate, not caring what noise she made anymore. “Alicia, Daniel we gotta go now!” she shouted out, the shutter flew up and her lover bounded over the counter first right into the blonde’s arms. “We gotta leave now, Nick’s hurt.” Daniel nodded and headed towards the truck to finish tying the tarp down. “What happened, is he…” “Don’t worry babe he’s fine but we need to go.” Alicia nodded and ran towards the truck, closely followed by Alex.

“Alex, you a good throw?” Elyza asked him, walkers only a few feet away. The boy only nodded. Elyza pulled out her eagle and carefully took aim and fired at the closest walker, even with her training her arm still flew back a little with its recoil, but she was quick to get her aim back up. “Right, I need you to throw this at the wall right there.” She said as she gave him a lighter and pointed at the wall where she’d thrown the alcohol bottles. He nodded as he climbed into the truck bed with Daniel.

“Now Alex.” Elyza shouted as a walker reached her window and began to scratch at it, groaning and growling at her, snapping its jaw. A few seconds later she saw the huge flames fly towards the ceiling, and she slammed her foot down on the accelerator. “Hang on!” she shouted as she sped out through the open shutter door into the heavy rain. Elyza sped along the road for a few minutes, getting as far away from the shop as she could.

They pulled over and all got out to watch the massive megastore go up in flames.


	15. First Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alicia saves Elyza, Madison talks to Chris, and Travis gets some answers.

Nick continued to groan and moan as he lay across the backseat, “Hang on Nicky, we’ll get there soon.” Elyza then turns to Alicia who is looking back at her brother with worry and despair written on her face. Elyza knows his injury isn’t serious so she’s a little unsure of why Alicia’s so worried about Nick. “Hey Sweetcheeks, he’ll be fine, pillow under his foot with some ice for a couple of weeks and he’ll be good as new.”

Alicia turned to look at Elyza with heavy eyes, “His ankle’s not what I’m worried about Elyza. I’m worried he’ll relapse because of it.” Elyza understands, throughout out their time together Alicia had told her about Nick’s addiction and multiple rehab attempts, it seems that it took an apocalypse for him to stop using. “Don’t worry I’ll make sure he stays clean. He should be thankful it’s only a sprain, otherwise he might need pain meds.” The blonde says out loud. 

“I’ll be fine.” Nick groans out, Alicia rushes back around to look at her brother, “Please don’t think a sprained ankle is all it will take for me to start again, this is the first time I’ve been clean, not to mention one of the longest times to.” Alicia rubs her older brother on the shoulder, trying her best to comfort him like all those other times she’d had to help him through a seizure or his withdrawals, except now she was happy because she was helping him through something that wasn’t drug related.

“We’ll be at the boat soon Nicky, but we’re not going to be going anywhere if this whether doesn’t let up. We can’t use the boat if it’s going to be flooded by the rain. We’ll have to take shelter in one of the houses.” Elyza says as she pulls into the street where they’d originally found the pickup truck and come up of the shore. “We just need to get into one of these houses and we’ll be good until the rain dies down.” Just as she finishes her sentence the glass of her window shatters as a bullet flies through it, if flies past Elyza’s head and goes through the windscreen, causing it to splinter and crack.

“Jesus Fuck!” Elyza screams as she slams on the break and swerves to a stop, the tires screeching underneath them as they slide down the asphalt for a few meters before coming to a shaky stop. The girls heard Nick fall to the floor, bringing more groans from the injured boy. Another bullet flies through the cracked windscreen causing it to shatter and fall, shards fell down to the girls’ feet. Whoever was attacking them was in front of them so Elyza took out her rifle and being careful not to peek over too much tries to find a shooter. “Cease you’re bloody fire, you’ll draw a horde in!” Elyza screams as a bullet wizzes through where her head had just been, she’d managed to see the flash before she’d ducked and knew where the shooter was.

A few more rounds slam into the body of the car before there is quiet and calm. Then they hear a deep voice. “You should have thought of that before you came to my street bitch!” he shouts back firing a few more bullets seemingly for effect. “Why can we never meet a nice person that just wants to say hi?” Elyza questions as she hides behind the steering wheel, “Daniel, can you see anyone?” Elyza calls out through the window, “No, stay down, there may be more than one.” He replies, Elyza doesn’t think so, there’d have been more shots. Elyza just had a stupid idea. “Stay here.” She whispered as she manoeuvred herself to facing her door. “What are you doing?” Alicia hissed at her brave but stupid lover. “I’m gonna go ask him for directions.” Elyza jokes before she gently pushes her door open. As soon as she does it gets riddled with bullets, a few passing through the door leaving holes in it. “I’ll be back in a tick babe.”

With that said Elyza leaps out of the car into the downpour, to roll through and land behind another car on the street. The shooters reaction time was commendable, she had to admit, but still not fast enough. She grunted as she crouched behind the car and brought her rifle around to try and aim. Her body is already near soaked, not to mention cold. “Elyza! What are you doing?” Daniel called out to her harshly, “Don’t really know yet, kind of making it up as I go along.” The older Salvadoran man just looks at her like she’s a fool. “Don’t worry mate I got this.” It clearly didn’t ease any worries Daniel had.

The person shooting still knew where she was and shot as soon as she started to rise. “Ok maybe I don’t have this.” She admitted to herself. “Oi Danny mate, bit of covering fire if you don’t mind.” She shouts, and despite shaking his head Daniel raises his gun over the roof and blindly fires a few shots in the general direction of where they’re guessing the shooter is.

Elyza sees a walker shuffling down the street towards them and knows it’s only a matter of time before a whole horde comes in and swarms them. She needs to deal with this guy quick. 

After Daniel starts firing Elyza sprints ahead, in the shooters direction, pushing as fast as she can go. She catches the flash of a reflection in the bushes a little way ahead and knows she’s found him.

Before Elyza can make the distance however, Daniel stops firing because he needs to reload. Whoever is shooting at them knows this and brings himself up, instantly locking his sights onto Elyza, she doesn’t have time to even look at the man’s appearance before a single solitary shot goes off. Elyza stops dead in her tracks, while she tries to calm her heavy breathing she begins to look over herself, pulling her jacket aside trying to find a bullet hole but there is none.

Elyza’s head whips up to look at the shooter, she locks eyes with the lanky black man aiming a rifle right at her head. Her eyes are quickly drawn to a large hole in the man’s chest, close to his heart, a small trail of smoke billows out closely followed by a river of blood. The man looks to his shoulder, his mind hasn’t registered that he’s been in shot but this doesn’t last as he falls to the ground howling in pain. 

Elyza’s head whips around to thank Daniel for the shot but she is surprised when it isn’t him aiming their gun. 

“Alicia!” 

Elyza screams as she runs to hug her lover. Alicia’s hair has begun to stick to her face and water drips of her lips and chin. Elyza grasps the brunette’s head in her hands, purposefully dragging her stare away from the man she’d just shot, Daniel jumped down of the truck and ran over to check on the man, he looked up at Elyza and shook his head. Alicia had seen it, she sniffed, “Hey baby, Lysh, look at me.” Elyza didn’t see it but heard the sound as Daniel’s blade went through the dead man’s skull. Alicia’s eyes fell to the floor, her head followed, the arm with the gun was still up and aiming. 

Elyza removed one of the hands from Alicia’s face and gently grasped the gun and took the pearly white pistol out of Alicia’s hands. She passed it to Daniel who was walking back to the truck. “Alicia please look at me.” Elyza put her hand on her chin and ever so lightly pushed up, bringing those green eyes she’d fallen in love with back to look at her. They were red around the rims now and Elyza could tell the tears apart from the rain drop.

Elyza wrapped her arms around her lover, she was cold and wet in the rain. “We need to get inside.” She said, Daniel acknowledged her and the two men began to carry Nick’s unconscious body inside the closest house, it was a one storied red brick house with a black front door. Elyza guided a still shocked Alicia towards the open door, Daniel and Alex had left Nick on the couch and gone through to check for walkers. The older Salvadoran man soon walked past her carrying the body of an old woman, a solitary stab wound in the middle of her forehead, her closed eyes almost make her seem peaceful.

Alex walks back into the room and shakes his head at the silent question Elyza asks with her eyes, there were no more of them anywhere. Alicia sat down on the couch, her eyes no longer showing shock but now just blank emptiness.

“Alicia, please talk to me.”

“I killed him.”

“You saved my life.”

For the first time in the past few minutes Alicia actually moved her face on her own, she looked at Elyza’s caring and loving face. She sniffles a little bit before launching herself at the girls and tightly wrapping her arms around her and hiding her face in the blonde’s chest. Elyza understands what Alicia is going through. This world they lived in was so demanding of them. Elyza knew Alicia would have to kill eventually but she hoped to put it off as long as she could.

While the brunette silently cries into Elyza’s white shirt, the blonde begins to massage her back, trying to provide whatever comfort she possibly could.

It had been different for her, the shock had only been momentary and she was back to fighting the next second. But Alicia had no one to fight, nothing to distract her from the fact that someone’s death was on her hands. Elyza would do everything she could to try and make sure the brunette felt as little guilt as possible for it, it wasn’t something she’d have wanted to do but it was what Alicia had had to do. Elyza would never hold that against her.

After about 20 minutes the brunette was asleep, Elyza hoped against hope that it was a peaceful one, but with the state of mind that Alicia had been in she doubted it.

Alicia had been there for Elyza when the blonde wasn’t even there for herself, Elyza would do everything in her power to make sure Alicia came out of this for the better.

Daniel and Alex were looking after Nick, making sure his ankle was raised, following Elyza’s instructions, but doing so quietly, out of consideration. For Daniel it was also out of understanding, he remembered the first time he killed someone, it was not something he’d enjoyed but it had been necessary, that fact never made it easier so he could understand what the brunette teenager was going through.

“She is strong Elyza, she will come through this.” With Alicia’s arms still grabbing her as if for dear life the Australian responded, “She shouldn’t have to, none of us should.” The Salvadoran man only nodded and moved to sit down in one of the chairs “You should get some sleep, it was a busy day.” With his gun in his hand he closed his eyes and within a few minutes the older man was asleep.

“I can take first watch Elyza.” The young blond boy offered, Elyza didn’t trust him yet so said that, “I’ll take it, you get some sleep, with luck we’ll be able to pack the boat by the time you wake up.” The boy nods and leans his head on pillow on the carpeted floor. 

Elyza was alone now. Everyone else was asleep.

\--

Elyza still held Alicia in her arms as the sun came up from behind the clouds a few hours later. Elyza felt the warmth of the sun shine down through the windows and just enjoyed  
it for a few seconds.

She didn’t get to enjoy it for long before Alicia bolted upright, huffing out breaths and sweating a little bit. “Hey, hey babe it’s ok I’m here, look at me, you’re alright it was just a nightmare.” Once Alicia locks eyes with Elyza she begins to slow her breathing slightly. She sniffs a few times before she brings one of her arms up to rub her eye. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Elyza asks, knowing that Alicia didn’t handle killing very well, and who could blame her. “Not right now.” The brunette murmurs out. “Whenever you’re ready Alicia, I will always be there to listen.” Alicia lowers her head down back to Elyza’s chest, right over her heartbeat, “I love you.” She whispers, the rhythmic beat echoing throughout her head, the perfect reminder that what she had done last night, she had done for the right reason. 

Elyza began to stroke her hand through Alicia’s frizzy tangles, trying to do her best to substitute for a comb, “I love you too Alicia.” They stay like that for a few moments, Elyza gently combing through Alicia’s hair, and the brunette just enjoying the closeness and safety the Australian is offering just by being there for her.

“Is she ok?” Elyza hears the brunette’s brother ask from his couch a few feet away. Alicia’s rhythmic breathing informs Elyza that the girl in her arms is asleep again. “No she isn’t.” Nick’s brotherly instincts kicked in immediately and Elyza had to stick her hand out to stop the boy from getting up to see his sister. “She isn’t bit Nick, she’s fine physically.” The blonde sighs, not wanting to have to tell Nick who must’ve fallen unconscious in the car.

“Alicia, killed the guy that was shooting at us.” Elyza said slowly with drawn out breathes doing everything she could to stop it from coming out. “What?” Nick hushed out in a surprised yet saddened tone. “What happened?” Elyza took a minute to try and think of a good way to explain it but decided to just be blunt and get it done. “I was charging the guy while Daniel was giving me covering fire, but he ran out of ammo before I got there. He was about to shoot me when Alicia shot first.” Elyza had subconsciously started to run her hand through Alicia’s hair again. “She saved my life.” Elyza says quietly as if to herself more than to Nick.

Alicia began to stir at the gentle ministrations of Elyza, but before she did she nuzzled herself further into her soft pillows, but she stopped instantly when she remembered where she was and what had happened. “Babe?” Elyza asks, noticing the sudden cease of movement from the girl. “Lysh?” Nick asks stretching his hand out to try and put his hand on her forearm. 

The tired brunette has rings of red around her eyes, she pulls her head up and out of Elyza’s cleavage, and sits up on the couch, gently releasing Nick’s grasp on her arm. “I’m ok Nick.” The boy knows its bullshit, “No, you’re not Lysh. You might not feel like it but you need to talk to someone. Talk to Elyza, someone please, Daniel even.” Elyza shivers a little at the suggestion of the Salvadoran man, not a good idea Nicky, she thinks to herself.

“Nick this isn’t something you can talk about and just move on from. Alicia will talk about it when she’s ready and with whoever she needs to.” The boy nods, understanding that the blonde would have experience with recovering from something like this. 

“I’m not liking this third person referencing.” The other two looked a little shamed at having talked about Alicia like she wasn’t there. “Sorry Lysh, we should get going. The others are probably wondering what happened to us.”

\--

“Chris! Chris, open up now.” Madison stood outside the young boy’s room, she’d been trying for five minutes to get the boy to open the door. It was about time that someone tried to talk to him, she was the only one who hadn’t and the last one who’d found trust with their new blonde companion. The older blonde woman was about to slam on the door again when it flew open from within. There with his arm in the makeshift sling Elyza had made for him, was an absolutely livid Chris, he looked like someone had just kicked his puppy. Madison could see the rage just below the surface, so close to exploding. “What!”

“Can I come in?” Madison asked calmly, contrasting his shout. Elyza had told the others she was going to try to talk to Chris and to give them some privacy. “What do you want Madison?” Chris asked in a slightly calmer tone, apparently he had expected someone else, Madison guessed Travis. “I want to talk Chris. And it’s about time you listened.” Chris rolled his eyes and began to close the door in her face but Madison was having none of it. She’d doubted Elyza, tormented her, hell she’d even pointed a gun at the innocent Australian’s face. It was about time she did something for Elyza, and it was about time that Chris learned that surviving meant being able to trust those around you.

“You’re not getting a choice in this Chris. Now get out of the way and let me in.” Chris felt chills at Madison’s tone and decided to indulge her rather than invoke her fury. He went to sit on the bed, his arm was still in its sling and the bandage around his wound bulged his shirt out.

“I know that you’re having some issue with Elyza being on the boat with us, and I need to hear what they are.” Chris opens his mouth to try and explain himself but before he does Madison cuts him off. “And I want the real reason Chris, not this ‘she could be dangerous’ crap, it might have taken me some time to realise it but she is not dangerous to us, just everything that wants to hurt us. I want the real reason.”

Chris stays silent for a few seconds, with his eyes locked on the wall next to Madison’s head. But when he does talk it’s with purpose. “I heard the sound of a bullet being shot through my mother’s skull, Madison.” The boy begins to become teary eyes at the recollection of the memory, “Her body. It’s out there floating in the ocean. She didn’t even get a proper burial.” Chris is starting to raise his voice as he continues, Madison’s listens while remaining placid, “Not even a week later he’s letting some stranger on board, with the same name even. How could he just forget about her?” He screams right at Madison’s face.

It is not however the older blonde that answers the question. “Because she’s gone Chris, and I refuse to remember her as just a corpse in the ocean.” The small and stoic voice comes from the door frame. “You just forgot about her!” the teenager screams in his father’s face. “No I didn’t!” Travis shouts back. “I miss her Chris. Every day I miss her, she used to be the woman I loved, how could I not miss her?” The older man was visibly saddened at the memory of his ex-wife. “She’s gone Chris, and there was nothing any of us could have done to save her. It was too late.” “You didn’t even try!” agony pours out along with Chris’s words, the boy is hurting and doesn’t know how to heal. “I did the best thing for her Chris. We could all only hope for an end that kind.” The older man barely whispers out to his distressed son. “There is no finding a better way in this world Chris, there is only the path of least suffering, and that’s what I did for Lyza, I saved her suffering.”

Madison was still on the bed and could see the sadness and despair written on her husband’s face, she’d never been particularly fond of Lyza, but she’d never wished for her to die. Chris was standing toe to toe with his father, his one fist not in a sling was clenched at his side. She stood up and moved to the boy’s side and gently grasped his hand, he flinched at the contact but didn’t stop when Madison wrapped her arms around her husband’s son. She looked Travis in the eye, trying to convey all the love and sympathy and she knew he’d seen it when he slowly began to walk back down to his room. 

Chris was wrapped up in Madison’s motherly embrace but her felt awkward, the last person he’d hugged like this had been his mother herself, now the woman who his father had chosen over Lyza was hugging him with care and sympathy. He didn’t know how to feel, protected, accepted, or repulsed. He decided that it didn’t matter. Because this was the first time since the world had ended that someone had stopped expecting things from him, now it was just someone showing him love, and it felt warm. He slowly began to lift his good arm up and wrapped it around Madison. He could feel that there was someone there for him, someone who was choosing to care for him. Chris closed his eyes and leaned into the embrace of his mother in law, relishing in the affection. “You’re ok Chris. Lyza loved you, she always did and always would. Travis does to, go easy on him ok, this hit everyone hard.”

Chris finally stopped trying to come up with arguments for why others were wrong and decided to just accept the truth, the world was fucked, it had stolen his mother form him and it wasn’t going to return her to him. He had to move on. And Madison was helping him to do that.

“Thank you Madison.”

\--

“Victor.” Travis called out to the black man from the floor below the command centre, “Travis, can I help you?” The captain sounded like he wanted to do anything but help Travis, but for the sake of niceties was offering. “Actually I’d like to help you.” This caught the man’s attention. “And how can you do that my friend?” he folds his hands in front of him and rests his back on the control panel behind him. 

Travis has never liked the man but he’s always gone along with the idea that Strand was the devil that he knew compared to the walkers, except now he’s starting to realise that he doesn’t actually know a thing about Strand. “I can fix the boat for you.” Victor just looks puzzled at Travis. “Isn’t that what you’ve been doing for the past day?” Travis nods before continuing. “It has but I’m nearly done. But I want answers to questions before I finish up. And this boat won’t be moving anywhere until I do.”

Strand just sighs and rubs his face with his hand. “Why is it not enough for you people to just trust me? I saved Nick, I took you to my house and then brought you aboard my boat with the promise of safety, can’t you just accept…” Travis interrupts him before strand finishes his question, “Would you, Victor? Would you be able to sit back while being led in to the unknown, by someone you know nothing about?”

Annoyance and aggravation run through Strand’s body at the question Travis puts on him, because he knows the answers to them. And in their position he would be just as distrusting, in fact even more so considering his nature. He didn’t say anything and merely nodded his acceptance of the offer to Travis. “Why Mexico?” a bit obvious for a starting question but Strand wants this over and done with quickly, “Because I have associates there Travis. Associates that would be very accommodating.”

“To you, why us?” Travis pushes, seeking some assurance from the captain. “Accommodating to you because I say so, my associate has no reason not to allow you in, as long as you proved your use once we arrived.” “Our weight?” Strand chuckled a little, “Nothing is ever without a price my friend. Be thankful that yours would only be a cheap one, we’d need help for supplies. I don’t see much use for people in this world anymore, we don’t need workers in a world where blood floods the streets.”

“People are good distractions in this world Strand. And I doubt you or your associate are the self-sacrificing types.” Travis is resting his hand against the stair rail to his side, his grip is tight, and small beads of sweat have started to leave his hands a little soggy. He is covered in dirt and oil stains from having worked on the boat all day. “You’re right of course Travis, we’re not. But like I said we have concrete walls that reach high, there I would not need people as distractions, only fighters.” He concludes.

Travis doesn’t trust the man anymore then when he first started this conversation but feels a little bit better about having understand Strands intentions for his family. He turns to head back down the stairs but before he can finish he hears the cool tone of his ship mate. “Now Travis, if you would be so kind as to fix this boat so that we can leave as soon as the others get aboard. My associate isn’t one to wait, and I’m already late.” Strand stares out upon the ruined city in which they’d docked, his thoughts drifted to Thomas, and the warmth his lover had given him in those years since Strand had taken advantage of the inebriated man and robbed him of thousands. He laughed a little to himself at how the situation had played out, in the end robbing Thomas Abigail had been one of the best decisions that Victor Strand had ever made.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and criticisms are always welcome, Cheers.


End file.
